VARANASI: The special task force of UP police arrested a contract killer of Gujarat-based underworld don Jayesh Patel, who is believed to be operating from Dubai or the UK, from Cantonment area in UP's Varanasi on Monday.
Two gangsters of Jamnagar in Gujarat had got a contract to kill a builder Jaysukh Pithadiya from Patel against the payment of Rs two crore after which they assigned Pankaj Kumar, a native of Azamgarh district, and his accomplice Maniram to kill him, although Pethadiya survived despite suffering bullet injuries on January 28.
STF said that after a team of Jamnagar police contacted it the Varanasi field unit team of force led by inspector Amit Srivastava was engaged to trace Pankaj.
On getting inputs regarding presence of Pankaj on a school road in Cantt area they raided the place and arrested Pankaj with a mobile phone.
Pankaj was produced before the chief judicial magistrate court where Jamnagar cops had initiated the process to take him to Gujarat on transit remand.
According to Jamnagar police, Pethadiya was busy in his work at a construction site on Lalpur bypass road in Jamnagar on January 28 when motorcycle borne miscreants fired at him and fled the scene.
Pethadiya suffered bullet injuries on his mouth but survived.
Pethadiya had claimed that the don Jayesh Patel, a wanted criminal involved in dozens of cases including Rs 100 crore land grabbing case as well as murder of advocate Kirit Joshi, had masterminded attack on him as after Joshi’s murder Patel had also threatened him.
During initial interrogation Pankaj, a native of Atraulia area in Azamgarh, confessed his crime and divulged that Pate, who is believed to be hiding in Dubai or UK and operating his gang from offshore, had given a contract to two Jamnagar gangsters- Bharat alias Kachcho Karamsi Bhai Chopra and Bhimsi alias Bhimo Goa- to kill Pithadiya.
The duo, who got this contract against payment of Rs two crore, hired Pankaj and Maniram.
Pankaj divulged that he and Maniram had also gone to Jamnagar in October 2020 but could not execute the plan of killing Pethadiya.