Ex-Army man nabbed in Jammu for 2015 H’bag court shootout

Jammu/Hazaribag: A former Army commando-turned-professional killer, Avtar Singh, who had executed the Hazaribag court shootout in 2015 during which undertrial gangster Sushil Shrivastav and two of his gang members were killed, was arrested in Jammu on Thursday, Jammu police said on Sunday.
A team from Hazaribag police had already brought Singh back from Jammu after seeking his custody on transit remand. Singh has several murder cases registered against him in Hazaribag, Ramgarh, Ranchi and Chatra districts.
The accused is a resident of Udhampur in Jammu and had availed voluntary retirement from the Army after carrying out the shootout and was living a settled life cultivating his fields.
Sources on condition of anonymity revealed that Singh was serving as a commando in the elite 4 Parachute Commando Battalion stationed at Udhampur at that time. However, they did not reveal how the accused came in contact with the conspirators.
Jammu SSP Chandan Kohli said the accused was hired by members of a rival gang for his sharp-shooting skills and was paid a hefty amount to carry out the attack. “A specific information was received by Jammu police a few days back after which an operation was launched in RS Pura area of Jammu and a man identified as Avtar Singh, son of Naseeb Singh of Udhampur, was questioned for a suspicious bullet injury on his foot," he said.
"Initially, he shared no valuable information but on sustained questioning, the accused started to spill the beans and confessed that he was involved in the Hazaribag court shootout and had received the bullet injury in the incident,” the SSP said.
During questioning, the accused told the police that in 2015 he was serving in the Army when some people approached him and offered a hefty amount to eliminate Sushil Srivastava, after which they planned the shootout in the Hazaribag court complex with an AK-47 rifle.
“The accused claimed that he had escaped from the court complex after the incident but was shot in the foot in retaliatory police firing," the SSP said.
“After the shootout, he was paid a hefty amount by the people who had planned the incident and later he availed voluntary retirement from the Army and was living a life away from his criminal past until Jammu police managed to trace and arrest him. One more shooter hired to carry out the crime is yet to be arrested and a manhunt is going on to find him,” Kohli added.
Investigators in other intelligence agencies on condition of anonymity revealed that the second accused had also served in the special forces.
The SSP added that Jharkhand Police were informed about the arrest, after which a team of cops reached Jammu and took custody of the accused, who is now being taken to Jharkhand for further investigation.