Cops intensify hunt for ‘Jonny Dada’
LUCKNOW The police have intensified their hunt for Ashwani Kumar alias ‘Jonny Dada’, the prime suspect in three sensational murders that have rocked western UP over
LUCKNOW The police have intensified their hunt for Ashwani Kumar alias ‘Jonny Dada’, the prime suspect in three sensational murders that have rocked western UP over the past week.
According to police officials, more cops were pressed in for combing operations in sugarcane fields and forest areas of Bijnor’s Daulatabad area on Thursday.
Moreover, police have increased the capture reward for the suspect from ₹25,000 to ₹50,000, hoping to get inputs from locals about his whereabouts.
Talking over phone, superintendent of police (SP) of Bijnor Sanjiv Tyagi said Jonny was still untraceable but police are continuously making efforts to track him down. He said one company each of Provincial Armed Constabulary and Rapid Action Force along with civil police have been deployed for combing the forest area.
He confirmed that inspector general of Moradabad range Ramit Sharma, under whose jurisdiction Bijnor comes, had increased the capture reward for Jonny to ₹50,000 from ₹25,000.
Another police official, privy to the investigation, said it was very likely that the suspect was hiding in the forest area since Monday afternoon after he shot dead a former air hostess Nikita Sharma, 27, after barging into her house.
“He was even spotted by two police personnel in the forest from a 200-metre distance. We tried to chased him down but he disappeared and is untraceable since then,” the official said.
He said Jonny’s presence in the area was felt as some eatables and other daily use items were spotted at some places during the combing operation.
DRUG ADDICT
The official said a probe had revealed that Jonny is a drug addict and has been purchasing injections, doses from some local medicine shops. He said the medicine shop owners in the region have been alerted to inform police in case anybody turns up to purchase the injections.
The police are trying to find Jonny’s father, who reportedly stays with his elder brother in some other state after his mother died two months ago, he added.
Earlier, Jonny had created a sensation after he allegedly shot dead local BJP leader Bhim Singh Kashyap’s son Chandra Bhushan, 24, and his cousin Krishna, 25, after calling them for a liquor party in Bijnor’s Badhapur locality on September 26.
He struck again when he shot dead former air hostess Nikita Sharma, 27, after barging into her house in Daultabad area, around 50 km from Badhapur locality, on Monday afternoon.
Before committing the crimes, Jonny had hinted his ‘deadly intentions’ by posting multiple text messages, Tik Tok videos and photographs on his Facebook wall, expressing his aggression towards people who insulted him and even warned them not to mess with him. He also posted a message stating that he was going to destroy everything.