''Godman'' involved in BSP leader''s killing held in Ghaziabad

Ghaziabad: The Ghaziabad police on Saturday arrested a self-styled godman in Uttar Pradesh who was allegedly involved in the 2013 murder of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Deepak Bhardwaj.

Machhendra Nath alias Baba Pratibhanand, who carried a bounty of Rs 1 lakh by the Delhi Police, was on the run for the last four years, police said.

On Friday around 10 p.m. a team led by Superintendent of Police (City) Akash Tomar arrested Pratibhanand, SSP Ghaziabad PRO S.K. Saxena said.

Pratibhanand is a resident of Beed in Maharashtra.

Bhardwaj, who had contested the Lok Sabha election on a BSP ticket in 2009, was the richest candidate in Delhi, having declared assets worth Rs 600 crore. 

He was shot dead at his 34-acre Nitesh Kunj farmhouse near the toll plaza in Gurugram on March 26, 2013. Two or three criminals on a motorbike had shot Bhardwaj dead, Delhi Police said.