Such was the trust of Munawar Hasan and his family on Bunty alias Sahib Khan that they could not realise his real intention till the end of their life.
Bunty’s confessions and circumstances suggest that the cold-blooded murders were allegedly committed without the family members – be it Hasan, his wife or children – suspecting anything about his plans.
Initial probe has revealed that a property dispute was at the root of this murder plot hatched by Bunty. He had not only earned the trust of the victim family but also tried to mislead the neighbours and the police.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Jatin Narwal said Bunty, in fact, assisted his incarcerated business partner in applying for parole and supported him through the entire legal proceedings spanning over a year. In 2015, Hasan had been arrested in a rape case and in January 2017, he was convicted and sentenced by a court here.
Always a companion
“When Hasan’s family went missing, Bunty stood by him and arranged for money and every other help required for the parole. He also accompanied Hasan to the police station (on May 18) for getting a missing complaint registered, of course pretending that he was clueless about the whereabouts of his family,” said a police officer.
According to Mr. Narwal, Bunty was a regularly visited Tihar, keeping Hasan informed about their business and his family. On the day Hasan was released, Bunty spent the whole day with him. Phool Singh, a neighbour of Hasan, said that on Saturday he saw three men (who the police suspect were the contract killers) visiting Munawar’s residence around 6.45 a.m. However, neither he nor his family members heard any gunshots.
Varying statements
“I had a court hearing so I left home in the morning. When I returned Bunty told me that Hasan was lying injured upstairs,” said Mr. Singh. This was what Bunty told the police too when he made a call to the police control room.
“However, during questioning, statements of Deepak and Bunty had several variations. We questioned them further and they confessed to killing Hasan and his entire family with the help of contract killers,” said the officer.
According to Bunty’s confession, last month he offered to accompany Mr. Hasan’s wife Sonia alias Ishrat and their daughters — Arzoo and Arshi — to their relatives’ house in Saharanpur, and allegedly got them murdered on their way back. The mother and girls trusted Bunty, a man they had known as their father’s long term associate, and hence agreed to go with him.
Two days later, unable to communicate with their mother and sisters, Hasan’s sons Aqib and Shaqib approached Bunty who pretended to try and trace them. “He pacified them, forced them to have their meal in a bid to gain their trust. Oblivious of his designs, the boys fell for the same and were murdered and buried later,” said a police officer.
Attempts to mislead
“On the day Bunty sent contract killers to gun down Hasan, he kept calling him to prove that he had made unsuccessful efforts to contact him. He was the one who made the PCR call again to deflect the attention,” he said.
Mr. Narwal added that Hasan himself had at least a dozen criminal cases against him. However, asked if the murders reeked of a personal motive, Mr. Narwal said nothing suggesting the same had come to his knowledge.
