Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: In a major breakthrough, the Delhi Police on Thursday claimed to have recovered the weapons used in the sensational murder of BSP leader and businessman Deepak Bhardwaj in his south Delhi farmhouse on March 26.
According to reports, the investigators recovered the weapons used in the crime from a canal while acting on the leads provided to them by Purushottam Rana, one of the key accused in the case.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police is still conducting raids at various places in search of controversial spiritual guru Swami Patimanand, who is believed to have hatched the conspiracy to kill Bardwaj.
The Haridwar-based spiritual guru is missing ever since his name appeared in the media in connection with Bhardwaj’s murder.
The Delhi Police suspects Pratimanand hired sharp shooters for Rs 50 lakh to Rs one crore to kill BSP leader Deepak Bhardwaj.
The spiritual guru, who belongs to an Ashram in Haridwar’s Kankhal, had a dispute with the real estate tycoon Deepak Bhardwaj over a property in Bahadurgarh, said to be worth several crores.
Purushottam Rana and other alleged shooters Sunil Mann and Amit had earlier refused to undergo Test Identification Parade after which they were remanded in police custody for 10 days.
Rana had, in his disclosure statement, said that the main accused in this case is a "Swamiji", who is yet to be arrested.
Delhi Police is believed to have told a local court on Wednesday that the two arrested shooters, who allegedly murdered Bhardwaj, had informed them that a "spiritual guru" gave them the contract to kill the BSP leader for an amount that is believed to be between Rs 50 lakh and Rs one crore.
Rana and Mann were arrested for their alleged involvement in the killing of Bhardwaj. Amit, who allegedly drove the car in which the shooters fled, and the owner of the vehicle were also arrested.
Though the motive is yet to be determined as the main conspirator is yet to be arrested, police suspect that property or money could be the reason behind the murder of Bhardwaj, the richest candidate in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections.
The alleged shooters had given contradictory details about those who gave them the contract to kill Bhardwaj during previous interrogation.
They had allegedly taken the name of a pilot as the one who gave them the money to kill Bhardwaj. However, police concluded that the pilot had no role.
Investigators have not given clean chit to anyone in the case so far and had even questioned his family - wife and his two sons - who was living separately due to differences with Bhardwaj, a real estate tycoon who owned educational institutions.
With PTI inputs
