The Hindu : Front Page : Brother-in-law held for Kalkaji businessman’s murder

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Tuesday, Apr 15, 2008
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Brother-in-law held for Kalkaji businessman’s murder

Staff Reporter

Bloody crime carried out through contract killers over multi-crore family property: Police

IN THE NET: (From right) Prime accused Dinesh Mittal, his employee Haroon and alleged contract killer Parvez in the custody of the Special Cell of Delhi Police on Monday.

NEW DELHI: The brother-in-law of businessman Arun Gupta, who was shot dead by three armed assailants on a crowded Kalkaji road in South Delhi a week ago, has been arrested by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police on charges of masterminding the murder over a multi-crore property and financial dispute. While an employee of his and two of the contract killers have also been arrested, the police are on the lookout for three others.

Addressing a press conference on Monday, Delhi’s Police Commissioner Yudhvir Singh Dadwal said Gupta’s murder was planned by his brother-in-law Dinesh Mittal as he suspected that Gupta was trying to dispose of the multi-crore Mittal Garden farm house, one of the prize properties left behind by Dinesh’s late father M. L. Mittal. Dinesh also felt that Gupta and his wife Sadhna – Dinesh’s sister -- were trying to “grab” fixed deposits worth Rs.10.5 crore through her mother.

While investigations into the case were in the initial stage, a Special Cell team led by Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma found out that the murder had been committed by some contract killers from Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh. The police zeroed in on one of the suspects, Mohammad Parvez, and picked him up on Saturday evening near his house in Jamia Nagar here.

During interrogation, Parvez purportedly disclosed to the police that in January he and his accomplice Afroz, a resident of Okhla, had got a Rs.10-lakh contract through Dinesh’s employee Haroon for eliminating Arun Gupta. Mr. Dadwal said Haroon arranged a meeting between the two and Dinesh, who allegedly gave them photographs of Gupta and his wife Sadhna. He allegedly gave Rs.5 lakh as advance payment for the job.

“Haroon showed Arun Gupta to them in Kalkaji,” said the Police Commissioner.

Parvez and Afroz later changed their plan and hired a criminal named Ible Hassan for an advance payment of Rs.2 lakh, but Ible could not execute the job as he was arrested in another case. Parvez then allegedly hired his brother-in-law Junaid for Rs.2 lakh.

The accused conducted reconnaissance thrice between February and April 6, the day Junaid was joined by his accomplices Shakeel and Abu Zar, all belonging to Bulandshahr. They came to Delhi on two motorcycles and conducted the final reconnaissance of the area where Gupta lived. They stayed the night at Batla House.

The next morning when Gupta was going to his Bhagirath Place shop in Chandni Chowk in his Wagon-R, the accused intercepted him and allegedly shot him dead from point-blank range. Shakeel and Abu Zar then left for their village, whereas Junaid went to Okhla, collected the contract amount from Parvez, and fled, said Mr. Dadwal.

Based on Parvez’s disclosure, the police arrested Haroon at Abul Fazal Enclave in Okhla. During interrogation, he purportedly admitted having hired Parvez and Afroz for Gupta’s murder at the instance of his employer. Subsequently the Special Cell arrested Dinesh on Sunday night. Junaid was arrested on Monday.

Dinesh purportedly told his interrogators that last December he came to know through a property dealer that his brother-in-law was planning to sell off Mittal Garden. Suspecting that Gupta and Sadhna were also trying to get hold of the fixed deposits, he allegedly decided to eliminate Gupta.

The police said Parvez was previously involved in a murder and an attempt-to-murder case in his village at Hapur. They are now trying to recover the murder weapon and arrest Shakeel and Abu Zar.

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