ACP Rajbir murder case: Life term sentenced to property dealer - Hindustan Times
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ACP Rajbir murder case: Life term sentenced to property dealer

Hindustan Times | By, Panchkula
Oct 29, 2015 09:30 AM IST

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court, Haryana, here sentenced properly dealer Vijay Bharadwaj to life imprisonment, along with Rs 10,000 fine, for murdering “encounter specialist” assistant commissioner of police(ACP) Rajbir Singh of Delhi Police in Gurgaon.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court, Haryana, sentenced properly dealer Vijay Bharadwaj to life imprisonment in Panchkula, along with Rs 10,000 fine, for murdering “encounter specialist” assistant commissioner of police(ACP) Rajbir Singh of Delhi Police in Gurgaon.

Vijay Bharadwaj being taken to the CBI special court in Panchkula on Wednesday.(Sant Arora/HT Photo)
Vijay Bharadwaj being taken to the CBI special court in Panchkula on Wednesday.(Sant Arora/HT Photo)

The murder had taken place on March 24, 2008 at Bharadwaj’s office, where Rajbir had gone to meet him as they had been friends. According to the CBI, there was a dispute of Rs 50-60 lakh between the two, which led to the murder. “Accused Vijay Bharadwaj and ACP Rajbir Singh (since deceased) were having business relations with each other. The kind of relations were that ACP Rajbir Singh was providing money in lakhs to accused Vijay Bhardawaj for investing the same in properties with a motive to earn profit,” commented CBI special judge, Haryana, RK Yadav.

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The CBI submitted before the court that Rajbir, who had Z-plus security, told his escort to wait outside and entered Bharadwaj’s office. Both sat down for drinks and after an altercation, Bharadwaj shot him twice at point blank range. One bullet hit him in the head and the other grazed his ear and got embedded in a nearby seat, and he died on the spot.

Murder weapon remains a mystery

Though it remained a mystery as to how the murder weapon, which was a .32 bore service revolver of Haryana ASP Ashok Sheoran, reached Bharadwaj. Sheoran claimed that he had lost the weapon in an encounter on July 21, 2007, but according to Bharadwaj, it was Rajbir who had gifted him the weapon. Sheoran was issued the weapon, along with 30 live cartridges on September 10, 1998.

Later in 2013, a local court in Bhiwani had ordered for registering of a murder case against Sheoran and other cops for killing Sandeep and Mukesh in Pichopan Kalan village in Bhiwani in 2007. But the police later submitted a cancellation report, hence giving clean chit to Sheoran.

CBI counsel Rajan Dahiya said, “The murder weapon was made in Kanpur and was issued to Haryana Police which further gave it to Sheoran. After the murder it was recovered near Japanese Hotel in Gurgaon on the disclosure of Bharadwaj.”

He added, “Vijay Bharadwaj had made an extra-judicial confession about the murder. He first called ASI Pradeep Kumar of Gurgaon to know under which police station his office would fall. Then later, at about 11 pm, he again called to tell him that he had killed Rajbir in his office.”

Bharadwaj also called up a news channel confessing about the murder, which was part of evidence against him.

Also, there was a witness, head constable Lilu Ram, PSO of Rajbir, who had seen Bharadwaj entering the office on the night of murder. His shoes also had stains of human blood.

Rajbir was posted with the Special Operations Squad of the Delhi Police crime branch. He had been involved in about 50 encounters involving gangsters and militants and was also credited with solving the Parliament and Red Fort terror attack cases of 2001 and 2000, respectively.

Talking to HT, Narvada Yadav, wife of ACP Rajbir, said, “I am satisfied with the judgment. He (Rajbir) was a bright officer. It was a loss to the nation. I hope one day, Vijay Bharadwaj would realise about the crime (sic).” Her son Rohit Yadav is now an IPS officer.

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