Shailja Dwivedi murder: Major Nikhil Handa used to date women through fake profiles, claims police

Major Nikhil Handa had several fake Facebook accounts, which he used to befriend women on popular dating sites, the investigators claimed.

NEW DELHI: Delhi Police investigating the Shailja Dwivedi murder case has claimed that Major Nikhil Handa – the accused in the case - had befriended another woman, whom he contacted after committing the crime. Handa met the woman in question through dating site QuackQuack.In, a senior police officer said.

The 40-year-old Army officer was arrested from Meerut on Sunday for allegedly killing Shailja Dwivedi – the wife of a fellow Army officer Amit Dwivedi - and planting the murder look like an accident. 

Handa, who wanted to marry Shailja (35), had several fake Facebook accounts, which he used to befriend women on popular dating sites, the investigators claimed, according to PTI.

He had befriended a woman, a resident of Patel Nagar, through dating site QuackQuack.

''In around a couple of years ago. The woman, who had come out of a bad marriage, had become a close friend of Major Handa,'' said a police officer, who is privy to the probe.

The woman was fully aware that Major Handa was married and also knew about Shailja Dwivedi, though she had not met her. 

The woman was called for questioning by the Delhi Police since she was the first person who was contacted by Major Handa after he allegedly killed Shailja.

''During her interrogation, the woman told them that Handa was in a fit a rage after killing Shailja. She was shocked to know that the Major Handa had killed someone, though she hardly believed him,'' Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Vijay Kumar told reporters.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police on Wednesday claimed that Handa had been misleading them even as he was being taken to Meerut to ascertain the places he had visited after committing the crime.

The victim's body was found with its throat slit near the Brar Square in the Delhi Cantonment area on Saturday. Handa had allegedly run his car over her face and body in order to make the incident appear as an accident. 

Ahead of the crime, Shailja was dropped at the Army Base Hospital in her husband's official vehicle by a driver for a scheduled physiotherapy session on Saturday. However, when the driver came back to pick her up, he was told that she had not attended the physiotherapy session. 

(With PTI inputs)