Car used to tail BJP leader Teotia day before attack recovered by cops

The Ghaziabad police took on remand the prime accused in connection with the August 11 attack on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Brijpal Teotia on Tuesday. Police

The Ghaziabad police took on remand the prime accused in connection with the August 11 attack on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Brijpal Teotia on Tuesday. Police also recovered a Swift Dzire car that was used to tail Teotia and his men a day before the attack. Earlier on September 2, Ghaziabad police had recovered a Wagon R car used by assailants from Greater Noida.

BJP leader Brijpal Teotia's white Mahindra Scorpio was riddled with bullets after the attack on August 11. (Sakib Ali/HT File Photo)

One more accused surrendered before the court on Monday.

The accused, Manoj, was arrested on September 7. He is a cousin of another accused, Manish -- the son of late Suresh Diwan who was murdered in Delhi in 1999. Although police cleared Teotia’s name from the case, Manish believed Teotia killed his father, and roped in Manoj for the attack.

“After we took Manoj on remand from 9am to 5pm on Tuesday, we recovered his Swift Dzire from Udyog Kunj industrial area at his instance. This was used by the accused to attack Teotia on August 10. But the attack was unsuccessful. Manoj had fled to Jaipur but planned the conspiracy with Manish,” Rakesh Kumar Pandey, superintendent of police (rural), said.

After the unsuccessful attempt on August 10, Manish and Manoj used a Fortuner during the attack on August 11. The car was stolen from DLF area in Gurgaon by a gang from Bulandshahr in June. Manish paid Rs 1 lakh to buy the car and used it for the attack.

“One more accused, Shekhar Chaudhary, surrendered before the court on Monday. He supplied pistols and live ammunition to the attackers. We will take him on remand soon to know more about his role in the planning and execution of the attack,” Pandey said.

Shekhar is a friend of Manoj and was jailed in Punjab in connection with a weapons supply case. He is currently on bail, police said.

So far, police have arrested nine persons, including Manoj and Manish, in connection with the attack on Teotia. Three people, including Shekhar, Manish’s younger brother Vicky and Shokender, had previously surrendered before the court.