INLD councillor Krishan Pehalwan, 3 aides held for Najafgarh murders

Police said Pehalwan, his aide Joginder along with two others — Promod and Tillu — were arrested for destruction of evidence.

Police on Saturday arrested four people, including Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) councillor Krishan Pehalwan, in connection with the murder of two private security officers at his Najafgarh farmhouse on Friday night.

INLD councillor Krishan Pehalwan (centre) at his Najafgarh home. Pehalwan and three others were arrested in connection with murders of two PSO at his farmhouse. (HT File Photo)

Two former servicemen working as private security officers (PSOs) of property dealers and financiers associated with gangster-turned-politician Pehalwan were shot dead by another PSO and his aides at Dichaon Kalan on Friday after an argument over Jat quota.

The police said Pehalwan, his aide Joginder along with two others — Promod and Tillu — were arrested for destruction of evidence.

Police said Joginder, was drinking with Ashok (40) and Fauji (45) — private guards of a real estate businessmen — when they started discussing the recent jat agitation and the need for reservations for the community.

While Joginder, a Jat, supported the move, Ashok and Fauji, both from the Yadav community, were against it. The two parties had a heated discussion on the topic which was followed by a scuffle.

“The situation boiled over when the private guards mocked the Jats and called them weak. This enraged Joginder and he took out a pistol and opened fire. The two guards died on the spot after which Joginder called up Pehalwan and informed him about the incident,” a police source said.

Pehalwan reportedly told Joginder to shut the door of the farmhouse from inside till he reached the spot. He reached the spot with Promod, Tillu and Manoj to dispose of the bodies and destroy evidence.

“Pehalwan and his associates removed the CCTV cameras from the area and deleted the footage. The men removed the bodies from the spot, changed the bed sheets and moped the floor — wiping off all blood stains from the room. They loaded the two bodies in a car that Manoj drove to a nearby hospital. He left the bodies on a stretcher outside and returned to the farmhouse,” a senior police officer said.

The hospital authorities later spotted the bodies and made a PCR call. During investigation it was found that a car had come to drop off the two men.

The statements of eyewitnesses were recorded and the car traced. “The car’s registration number established the involvement of Pehalwan and his associates. When they were questioned, they said that the incident happened outside the farmhouse. But when they were asked about their car dropping the bodies, they had no answers” an investigator said.