Who Was Preeti Ahlawat, the Delhi Cop Shot Dead by Her Batchmate?

Ahlawat studied Chemistry and Physics in Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU), Rohtak, as per her social media.

Preeti Ahlawat had joined the Delhi Police in 2018 and was posted at the Patparganj Industrial Area police station in east Delhi.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint.)

In a chilling murder, Preeti Ahlawat, a 26-year-old sub-inspector in the Delhi Police, was shot dead in Rohini by a fellow officer on Friday, 7 February.

“Around 8.30 pm, she left from the station… she was not in uniform. She got out of the Metro station around 9.30 pm. She had walked around 50 metres when the incident took place. She was taken to a hospital where she was declared dead on arrival,” said a senior police officer, quoted by The Indian Express.

Ahlawat had joined the Delhi Police in 2018 and was posted at the Patparganj Industrial Area police station in east Delhi.

The shooter who has been identified as Deepanshu Rathi, also a sub-inspector from the 2018 batch of the Delhi Police, allegedly killed himself with the same gun he used to commit the murder. Deepanshu's body was found in Karnal, Haryana, said police, as per India Today.

Police officials reportedly said that Rathi was in love with Ahlawat but she did not reciprocate. According to Ahlawat’s Facebook, she has been in a relationship with Sumit Sabherwal, who also studied in MDU, since 2016.

A Background in Science

Ahlawat hails from Bahadurgarh, a town near Sonipat, and was staying at a rented accommodation in Rohini. A student of GGS Secondary School, Ahlawat studied Chemistry and Physics in Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU), Rohtak.

Even with an extremely private online presence, it is not hard to spot Ahlawat’s interests. One of the few followed topics on her social media is the department of environmental science of a university.

In 2016, she uploaded a photo of the Delhi Police logo, indicating her choice of joining the force.

Three Cartridges Found

The murder took place near Rohini East Metro station, on the night of Friday, 7 February, just a few hours ahead of the voting for Delhi elections.

“We received a PCR call around 9.40 pm that a woman was shot dead. Prime facie, it appears to be case of personal enmity and we have zeroed in on suspects after going through the footage. The jewellery that she was wearing and her bag were not stolen. Further investigation is on.”

Additional CP (Rohini district) S D Mishra to <i>The Indian Express</i>

Three empty cartridges were recovered from the crime scene, the officer said, adding that a case had been registered and a probe was on.