Five more arrested in connection with murder of BJP leader in Dasna

The Ghaziabad police on Tuesday arrested five persons in connection with the murder of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader BS Tomar, who was gunned down by armed assailants on July 20 in Ghaziabad’s Dasna. The five arrests came after the police, on July 21, arrested Shahrukh and Tehsim who were allegedly part of the group which gunned down Tomar and were hiding in Dasna town after the incident.

According to the police, Tomar was gunned down after he had allegedly hurled remarks and was allegedly favouring the family of a 17-year-old boy, who belongs to a different community, after the boy had allegedly kidnapped a 14-year-old girl, his neighbour, and fled. The girl’s mother had lodged an FIR on July 5 at the Masuri police station and named the boy and his two friends. The two friends were arrested but the boy and the girl are yet to be or traced.

Police on Tuesday arrested Sultana and her sister Rukhsana besides three of their neighbours – Abdul Rehman and his sons Abid and Samman. The latter three were booked in a separate FIR lodged for harbouring suspects – Shahrukh and Tehsim – and also for preventing officials from discharging their duties during the combing operation after the incident.

Police said the girl’s brother Aman (son of Sultana), his cousin Arbaaz (son of Rukhsana) and another relative Naushad are on the run. The Ghaziabad senior superintendent of police had announced a reward of ₹25,000 each for the absconding suspects.

“We will also take the girl’s father Harun on police remand. He is lodged at Rohini Jail in Delhi in connection with a loot case. During investigation we came to know that Harun had come to Ghaziabad on parole on July 8 and 15. It was then he was told about Tomar and a plan was hatched for his murder. After Harun went back to jail, his son Aman and relatives tried murdering Tomar but failed,” Neeraj Kumar Jadaun, superintendent of police (rural), said.

Tomar was gunned down late at night while he was standing near a paan shop. He sustained two bullets to his head and a third to his body.

“The three neighbours of Sultana were arrested for harbouring suspects after they fled the scene of crime. They are booked in a different FIR. We have got crucial evidence that all suspects were in touch with each other and were involved in the planning,” the SP (rural) added.

First Published: Jul 24, 2019 18:59 IST