Over a month after a criminal and his accomplice were shot dead in broad daylight in Dwarka, the prime accused in the case was arrested on Tuesday, the police said on Wednesday.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav said the accused, identified as Rajiv alias Monu Dagar, was arrested from Chhawla village after brief exchange of fire.
Property dispute
Sandeep Singh and his accomplice Pawan alias Pauna were allegedly shot dead on May 2 at Bamnoli village by Monu, Arjun and Mani. The motive behind the murders is said to be property dispute between Monu and Sandeep.
Monu and Sandeep had bought a piece of land at Pochanpur village. Monu decided to kill Sandeep after he asked him to pay for his share.
Tip-off
Mr. Yadav said the police received a tip-off stating that Monu would visit a temple on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday, after which a trap was laid. Monu, however, managed to escape taking advantage of the crowd in the area.
“We received another input later stating that he [Monu] would visit Chhawla in the evening,” the officer said.
He said Monu was spotted and asked to surrender but tried to escape in his vehicle.
The police said he fired at them and the officers fired in retaliation. His vehicle’s tyre was deflated, after which he was overpowered.
When The Hindu approached Sandeep’s family, they claimed they were clueless about the arrest.
Family’s allegation
“I have been making calls to officers in Dwarka Sector 23 police station but no one informed me [about the arrest]. We do not have any information about the arrest,” said Sandeep’s wife Sumitra.
His father Rajinder Singh said he was unaware of the arrest as well.
The family members claimed they had called an officer on Wednesday morning asking for an update but were not told anything. In fact, Sumitra claimed that she suspected Monu was present in Bijwasan on Monday night and also called a police officer informing him about Monu’s presence.
Sandeep’s father said the family has visited the police station four-five times seeking an update but was not given any information.
“ Kaam chal raha hai [work is in progress],” the family members were told.
“We have been waiting for the arrest since weeks. Do we not even deserve to be informed?” said Sumitra.
Responding to the family’s claim, Mr. Yadav said, “The case is being investigated by the local police and we have informed them.”
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka) Shibesh Singh remained unavailable for a comment.
Sumitra said her 17-year-old son scored 92% in the Class XII exam and is likely to pursue medical if he clears the entrance test.
