The Ghaziabad police on Friday night arrested a self-styled godman who was allegedly involved in the 2013 murder of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Deepak Bhardwaj.
The accused, Machhendra Nath alias Baba Pratibhanand, carried a bounty of ₹1 lakh announced by the Delhi Police and was on the run for the last four years, said Akash Tomar, superintendent of police, Ghaziabad.
Bhardwaj's younger son Nitesh had earlier been arrested in the case. Nitesh allegedly confessed that he had hired killers as he was upset with his father over a share in his property.
Nitesh allegedly roped in Swami Pratibhanand who, in turn, roped in Purshottam Rana alias Monu and Sunil Mann, the shooters who killed the BSP leader.
Pratibhanand allegedly wanted to start his own ashram and was promised ₹2 crore in lieu of the murder. “The accused was produced in the city court and sent to judicial custody,” the police said.