The Uttar Pradesh Police on Monday arrested two more people for their involvement in the loot and murder of cricketer Suresh Raina's 58-year-old uncle in 2020. The two arrested accused are identified as Talib and Shahjan, who had committed a robbery at his uncle's house two years ago in Punjab's Pathankot.
Raina's cousin and aunt were also attacked during the robbery. While his cousin succumbed to injuries in the hospital, the cricketer's aunt was left critical then.
The attack took place in Pathankot's Tharyal village on the intervening nights of August 19 and 20. Raina's uncle, Ashok Kumar, a contractor by profession, died on the spot, while Kumar's son, Kaushal, died in the hospital on August 31.
In September 2020, the Punjab police had claimed to have solved the case with the arrest of three persons. But after today's arrest it appears, Talib and Shahjan were still working for the larger gang that had struck at his uncle's house.
Reportedly, the police arrested Talib and Shahjan, who are members of the Chaymaar gang, on Monday evening in Muzaffarnagar. Reports say the two had fired at the police and tried to escape the spot.
The UP police, however, carried out a late-night encounter to nab them and fired bullets at their legs. The accused are injured and are undergoing treatment at a district hospital. Media reports suggest the police have also recovered two pistols, five live cartridges, three shells, and a bike from the accused.
Learning about the grusesome incident in 2020, Suresh Raina had then pulled out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) citing personal reasons. "Those criminals should not be spared to commit more crimes," he posted in his appeal to Capt. Amardinder Singh, who was then the chief minister of Punjab.
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