Even as Machendranath (48) alias Swami Pratibhanand, the main conspirator of multi-billionaire real estate baron Deepak Bhardwaj murder case, remains elusive, police have claimed that he had applied for passport six months ago. His passport verification form was recovered from Haridawar.
Investigators have also checked his three bank accounts and there’s hardly any money in them. “There is strong possibility that the Swami has changed his appearance. Few months back, he had gone in Kumbh Mela where he shaved off his head and beard. He might also change his profession and nowadays he shifted in Uttarakhand. We are waiting that Swami will switch on his Chinese cell phone and we will then trace his location with the help of technical surveillances,” police sources added.
Meanwhile, the Special Task Force of South district police are still groping in the dark into the murder of Bhardwaj and even after releasing the pictures of the main conspirator Pratibhanand, they are yet to get any major lead.
After scanning the call detail records and social networking friend’s list of Swami, police have also questioned over 200 persons, including yoga guru Avinash Shastri but no one have any information about the current location of Pratibhanand. “After the questioning of several close associates of Pratibhanand, it has emerged that he was in the Capital till March 24, two days before shootout took place and went Kankhal in Haridwar after booking a cab,” the sources said.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police on Sunday asked the Bhardwaj’s family not to leave Delhi without their permission.
later, he stayed in Haridawar till March 30 and watched all the activities of Delhi Police through news channels. He even switched off his cell phone and did not take calls of the killers,” the sources said.
Police said that Swami Pratibhanand went Indore and met his associate Avinash Shastri on March 30 where he stayed for around four days in his ashram. He came to Delhi in 2007 and became a yoga teacher at a school in Outer Delhi’s Kanjhawala area.