Delhi Police on Sunday arrested the second accused in connection with the recent attack on Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta during a ‘Jan Sunwai’ programme.
Police said Tahseen Syed, a native of Gujarat’s Rajkot, is a friend of prime accused Rajesh Sakariya, and the duo were in constant touch with each other before the alleged attack.
Tahseen was detained on Friday and brought to Delhi for detailed interrogation. He was made to confront Sakariya to verify facts, following which his arrest was formally registered on Sunday.
Sakariya, who also hails from Rajkot, had allegedly sent a video of the chief minister's Shalimar Bagh residence to Tehseen, while the latter had sent him Rs 2,000, police said.
Sakariya allegedly assaulted the chief minister during the "Jan Sunwai" programme at her Civil Lines camp office on Wednesday. He was arrested soon after, and a Delhi court sent him to five days of police custody.
Also read
- 'Can't stop out of fear': Assault fails to deter Delhi CM Rekha Gupta, expands Jan Sunwai to all constituencies
- 'I was in shock...but it won't break my spirit': How Delhi CM Rekha Gupta reacted to her assault
- Another security breach? Man detained at Delhi CM Rekha Gupta's first public event after assault
During the interrogation, Sakariya, who his family claimed was a dog lover, told the police that he went to meet the chief minister to raise the issue of stray dogs following the Supreme Court’s order to shift all dogs from the streets to shelters.
The accused also said that he had planned to stage a protest at the Ramleela Ground against the top court’s order.
The police, however, have not taken his statements at face value and have launched a detailed investigation into the incident. Sakariya’s mobile phone has been sent for a forensic examination to ascertain if he deleted any crucial information before the assault.
Delhi Police have found that Sakariya has five cases of assault and possession of liquor against him between 2017 and 2024 at Rajkot's Bhaktinagar police station.