Exactly a week after he was gunned down in a hail of bullets, Delhi police on Sunday claimed to have solved the murder of former Najafgarh MLA Bharat Singh with the arrest of five persons, including key conspirator Udayveer Kala and a former Punjab Police officer.
Kala, his personal security officer (PSO) Raman Gurang — a former ASI in Punjab Police — and three others were arrested by two teams of the crime branch comprising over 60 police personnel following a tip-off. Kala’s nephew Hemant and his close aide Nitin, who is the son of a former Vikaspuri MLA, were absconding.
While the plot was allegedly hatched by Kala, Hemant and Nitin were among the eight sharpshooters who fired 50 bullets during the five-minute attack on Singh at a Najafgarh farmhouse last Sunday. Apart from Nitin and Hemant, three other attackers were on the run. All of them carried two pistols for the attack and fired simultaneously using both hands. Hemant and three others were injured in counter fire from Singh’s men.
During the interrogation, Kala reportedly said he wanted to eliminate long-time rivals Singh and his elder brother Krishan Pehalwan before the duo had a chance to wipe out his family. The case has been cracked within the ‘deadline’ set for the police by Pehalwan, a feared name because of his involvement in 25 serious crimes. In an exclusive interview to HT, he had threatened to bring Najafgarh to a standstill if his brother’s killers were not caught by April 5 (Sunday).
During the interrogation, Kala reportedly said he wanted to eliminate long-time rivals Singh and his elder brother Krishan Pehalwan before the duo had a chance to wipe out his family. The case has been cracked within the ‘deadline’ set for the police by Pehalwan, a feared name because of his involvement in 25 serious crimes. In an exclusive interview to HT, he had threatened to bring Najafgarh to a standstill if his brother’s killers were not caught by April 5 (Sunday).
An automatic carbine and two sophisticated pistols along with magazines and cartridges were recovered from the possession of those arrested, police said, adding that in all 15 persons connected with the attack were absconding.
The alleged role of Kala’s other PSO, a Delhi police constable, is also under scanner after investigators learnt that he was aware of the conspiracy. The constable is alleged to have helped Kala flee the city after the attack. The constable reportedly attempted suicide after being grilled by the investigators.
The two teams that nabbed the accused were led by ACP KPS Malhotra, who received the tip-off, and DCP Dinesh Kumar Gupta. The teams were monitored by additional DCP Ashok Chand.