Two days after the 35-year-old son of a Haryana-based Congress leader was shot dead and three others were left injured by a group of men, two assailants were arrested for their involvement in murder, Yamunanagar police said on Monday.
They were identified as Harpal and Nitesh, both from Kuruskhetra’s Ladwa. The latter usually works for the former, police added.
Deceased Janu Valmiki, younger son of Rajinder Valmiki, also a Dalit-rights leader, was shot dead during the intervening night of Friday and Saturday, while three of his friends – Mohit Sharma, Rajat and Anmol – received bullet injuries when they were returning from a marriage function in Jagadhri.
“The accused were, however, not named in the FIR, but have revealed their involvement in execution of the murder with prime accused Sumit, Shanti and Sachin,” DSP (Bilaspur) Aashish Chaudhary told the media.
“Harpal, who is involved in the business of illicit liquor, had done recce before the murder with Sachin and Sumit on April 14, but couldn’t gather information on Janu. They came back again the next day for the same purpose,” he added.
“The prime accused are involved in at least 15 separate cases of assault and the accused arrested also have criminal background. Following a threat perception by the departments involved, security has been provided to five members of the family,” the DSP, leading an SIT in the case, said.
{{/usCountry}}“The prime accused are involved in at least 15 separate cases of assault and the accused arrested also have criminal background. Following a threat perception by the departments involved, security has been provided to five members of the family,” the DSP, leading an SIT in the case, said.
{{/usCountry}}Both were presented before court and sent to four-day remand, when police are likely to recover the weapons used in the crime and provided to them by Sachin, along with the cars used during the day, the investigators said.
The murder is said to be a fall-out of an old enmity that erupted during Holi festival in 2020 and due to area domination in their liquor business.
Janu’s elder brother Raman Valmiki, while undergoing trial in an attempted murder case in the Holi episode, had died under mysterious circumstances at the district jail on April 25, 2020.