Right-wing leader Puja Shakun Pandey arrested in Aligarh businessman's murder

Puja Shakun Pandey, who claims the title of Mahamandleshwar, was absconding since the night of the murder and carried a reward of ₹50,000.

Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha (ABHM) office-bearer Puja Shakun Pandey, the main accused in the September 26 murder of a businessman in Uttar Pradesh's Aligarh, was arrested from Bharatpur on Saturday.

Puja Shakun Pandey had earlier hit the headlines for publicly praising Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse.(HT File)

Abhishek Gupta, a 25-year-old two-wheeler showroom owner, was gunned down by two assailants in Aligarh's Roravar area while he was boarding a bus to Hathras.

Puja Shakun Pandey and her husband, ABHM spokesperson Ashok Pandey, allegedly hired the two shooters, Mohd Fazal and Asif, to kill Gupta.

The same night as the murder, a case against Puja and her husband was registered at the Roravar police station.

Other accused behind bars

Ashok Pandey and the two shooters are all behind bars. Superintendent of Police (city) Mrigank Shekhar Pathak said last week that Mohd Fazal was arrested in the previous week, adding that the main shooter, Asif, was nabbed on October 3 near the Delhi-Kanpur highway at Shah Kutubpur. Pathak said that Asif carried a reward of ₹25,000 and was wanted already.

Puja Shakun Pandey, who claims the religious title of Mahamandleshwar, was absconding since the night of the murder and carried a reward of ₹50,000.

Following her arrest, Puja was brought to Aligarh and is currently being interrogated.

Investigators had earlier revealed that both the shooters had known Puja Shakun Pandey and her husband for 7-8 years and had taken up welding work at their house a month ago.

When Fazal and Asif were working at their home, the husband-wife duo offered them money to kill Abhishek Gupta.

Initially, the shooters demanded ₹5 lakh, but agreed upon a final amount of ₹3 lakh. The Pandey's provided Gupta's photo to the killers before the murder.

Citing call records, police said that Ashok Pandey had contacted Fazal 27 times between August and September, and had spoken to his absconding wife 11 times.

Abhishek Gupta was with his father when the two bike-borne assailants shot him in Roravar. He was rushed to a hospital, but succumbed to injuries later that night.

Gupta's father had named Puja Shakun Pandey and her husband Ashok in his complaint, stating that relations between them and his son were strained.

Puja Shakun Pandey had earlier hit the headlines for publicly praising Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse.