Ghaziabad: Growing family dispute led to lawyer’s killing, two relatives among three arrested

Police identified the arrested as Manoj’s brother-in-law Amit Dagar, 38, Amit’s brother Nitin Dagar, 34, and their friend Anuj Pal alias Palu, 40

The Ghaziabad police on Thursday arrested three suspects for the planned murder of advocate Manoj Chaudhary at his chamber in Ghaziabad tehsil on Wednesday afternoon and said a growing family dispute with his sister’s husband led to the murder.

The three suspect in custody. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

Police identified the arrested as Manoj’s brother-in-law Amit Dagar, 38, Amit’s brother Nitin Dagar, 34, and their friend Anuj Pal alias Palu, 40. They were held from near Lohiya Nagar in Ghaziabad, police said, adding that both Amit and Nitin are practising lawyers.

According to police, Chaudhary, 42, was a resident of Chiranjeev Vihar and his sister Sarita Chaudhary and her minor daughter were staying with him since June owing to domestic issues with her husband, the prime suspect Amit Dagar.

Police said Amit has been to jail previously in an attempt to murder case after he allegedly opened fire at his mother and wife at their residence in Chiranjeev Vihar this January.

“Amit purchased two properties in 2012 and 2016 in Sarita’s name – a flat at Chiranjeev Vihar which is valued about ₹60 lakh and a house in Duhai worth about ₹80 lakh. Due to domestic issues, Sarita was trying to sell these and her brother, Chaudhary, was helping her out. Prospective buyers had started visiting these properties with a view to purchase them and Amit objected to this,” said Dinesh Kumar P, additional police commissioner.

Police said Amit was also trying to persuade Sarita to return home with their daughter on Rakshabandhan so that their daughter could tie a Rakhi to her brother who is living with Amit.

“But when his wife showed no intention to return, Amit got angry and this may have led him to hatch the murder plan. On Tuesday night, Amit, Nitin and Palu assembled at a house in Greater Noida where they consumed drinks till late night and on Wednesday they set out in their father’s Brezza and reached Ghaziabad tehsil around 1.45pm. Nitin went inside Chaudhary’s chamber and used a .315 calibre countrymade weapon to shoot Chaudhary in the head from point blank range,” said Nipun Agarwal, deputy commissioner of police (DCP), city.

Police said the weapon recovered from the suspects was purchased by Amit in 2013.

The suspects later fled and reached Chiranjeev Vihar from where they used a Santro car to flee and evade arrest. In the meantime, police launched an investigation and formed at least six teams to trace the suspects who were also named in a complaint given by Chaudhary’s wife Kavita Chaudhary on Wednesday evening.

Kavita is her complaint mentioned the domestic abuse meted out to Sarita and threats issued by Amit to her and husband with a view “to spoil Rakshabandhan festivities”.

The FIR names Amit, Nitin, their father Madan Dagar and accomplices Anuj Kumar and Palu as suspects, police said. However, the police on Thursday said the three arrested suspects were the only ones involved in the planning and murder of Chaudhary.

Based on Kavita’s complaint, the Sihani Gate police registered an FIR under Indian Penal Code sections 302 (murder), 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting with deadly weapon), 149 (unlawful assembly with common object), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 120b (criminal conspiracy).

Police said Amit has four cases against him while Nitin figures in three of these cases. The cases against Amit include a case of domestic violence and dowry in 2010, causing grievous hurt in 2018 in Muradnagar, an attempt to murder case in January 2023 and the recent case of murder.