Mumbai: Two more people were arrested on Thursday in connection with the murder of Congress worker Manoj Dubey. The Sakinaka police said interrogation of the two identified as Rahul Sharma and Sarvesh Singh now indicates that the murder was planned.
Dubey (45), a resident of Asalfa in Ghatkopar, was stabbed near Asalfa Metro station on Monday morning. He was rushed to Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar, where he succumbed to his injuries. The police arrested Umesh Singh and Jitendra Thakur on Tuesday. “We had information that some others apart from Mr. Umesh Singh and Mr. Thakur were involved in the crime, and had been picking up their friends and associates for questioning. On Thursday, we called Mr. Sharma and Mr. Sarvesh Singh to the police station, and their interrogation established their involvement,” an officer at Sakinaka police station said.
The officer said Mr. Sharma had procured the sword used in the murder, while Mr. Singh had obtained the dagger, both of which were stored in a small shanty near Asalfa Metro station, from which a lottery centre is being operated.
“The duo was aware of the tension between their associates and Dubey over the latter’s Facebook post, and also learned about the altercation that Dubey had with Mr. Umesh Singh on Sunday evening over installation of political banners. Following the altercation, the four accused decided to arrange for some weapons to be used in case another argument broke out with Dubey, so that he could be taught a lesson,” the officer said.
The same evening, the duo allegedly procured the weapons and stored them in the shanty, which were subsequently used by Mr. Umesh Singh and Mr. Thakur when Dubey’s bike hit Mr. Thakur’s bike around 1.30 a.m. on Monday.
The two will be produced in court on Friday, where the police will seek their custody. The police are now working on finding out where the duo procured the weapons from, and whether anyone else was part of the murder plot.
