Swiss woman murder: Delhi court takes cognisance of charge sheet against lone suspect

New Delhi, Jan 15: A court here on Monday took cognisance of the Delhi Police's charge sheet against Gurpreet Singh, the lone accused in killing of Swiss national Nina Berger.

Berger's body, with limbs and legs bound with chains, was found near a school in west Delhi on October 20, 2023, and the accused, Singh, 33, was arrested the next day.

The 1,000-page charge sheet was filed before Metropolitan Magistrate Devanshu Sajlan of Tis Hazari Courts, on January 11, who has now committed the case to a sessions court given the gravity of the offence and has asked Singh to appear before the Principal District and Sessions Judge on January 30.

Singh faces charges under several Indian Penal Code sections, including 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), 404 (dishonest misappropriation of property possessed by deceased person), 411 (dishonestly receiving stolen property), and 482 (punishment for using a false property mark).

During investigation, the police recovered various documents, including Berger's passport, from Singh's possession.

Initially, there were inconsistencies in the statements given by Singh, who was subsequently arrested in connection with the case. His statements regarding the murder kept changing.

As per Singh's interrogation, he had met Berger in 2021 during his visit to Switzerland, and their friendship had developed into a close bond. Singh frequently travelled to Switzerland to be near her. Over time, he expressed his desire to marry her, but she rejected his proposal.

Berger had arrived in Delhi from Zurich on October 11, 2023, and was staying in a hotel. However, as the interrogation of Singh continued, it became evident that he was attempting to mislead the police.

According to sources, the examination of the mobile phone of the accused revealed that he was in touch with at least a dozen women who were also foreigners, an evidence that possibly links the case to the police's human trafficking theory.

Significantly, the police recovered over Rs 2 crore in cash from Singh's residence in Janakpuri.

Further investigation revealed substantial financial transactions through Singh's bank account, leading the investigators to notify the Income Tax authorities. These high-value transactions and the unaccounted cash raised suspicions that the case might be related to human trafficking.

The the cuts and some burn marks on the victim's body also indicate that she was probably tortured before being killed. Even the locks and chains, with which the woman was found tied, were bought just two days before the murder by the accused from a market in west Delhi.