In a breakthrough regarding the sensational broad-day light murder within the Roorkee court premises, Dehradun police acting on specific inputs have arrested Rishipal Rana of Saharanpur, the prime accused of the case, from Dehradun on Thursday.
Notably Devpal Rana, a close aide of the notorious gangster Sunil Rathi, was shot dead by some sharp shooters allegedly at the behest of Rishipal Rana on November 20 last when he was brought to the court in connection with the hearing of a case.
Police had said that the sharp shooters identified as Vikas Choudhary and Ajay Mohit had pumped bullets into him following which he was taken to a hospital where he in his dying statement named Rishipal Rana as the mastermind of the shootout. While Ajay Mohit was arrested by Gangnahar police Vikas Choudhary was arrested by Kotwlai police Dehradun. Subsequently, a case under sections -302//120b of IPC and 7 CRLA Act was registered against Rishipal Rana in Gangnahar police station. However, Rishipal Rana remained fugitive though police were on the lookout for him. A bounty of Rs 10K was announced on information leading to his arrest.
Acting on a tip- off, a team led by SP City arrested Rishipal Rana from a hotel located on Rajpur Road. In course of interrogation, Rana is said to have informed the cops that his wife, block pramukh of Nanauta, picked up an enmity with Devpal Rana who was proving to her political rival. He is believed to have further said that he had Devpal bumped off after receiving information that the latter was plotting to murder him with the help of gangsters working under the notorious criminal Sunil Rathi who is now lodged in a jail.
As per police sources, Rishipal revealed that the two gangs-one loyal to Rathi and another to Cheenu Pandit- being at each other’s throat would help him go unscathed in case Devpal was murdered. Rishipal is supposed to have further revealed that he had gone to Chandigarh via Paonta Sahib after the murder was committed.
His cell phones remained switched off to elude police which were on the lookout for him. As per cops, he came to Dehradun to meet his advocate and was arrested from Rajpur.