Still luckless in getting even the slightest whiff of the mastermind’s whereabouts, sleuths probing the murder of real estate tycoon Deepak Bhardwaj are turning to visualisers to prepare sketches of what Swami Pratibhanand may look like if he has changed his appearance.
Police sources said there is a strong possibility that the swami may have drastically changed his look by getting rid of his beard and long hair.
Investigators retrieved a photograph of Pratibhanand from his ashram in Panipat. In the photo, he is seen standing with two persons and sporting a flowing beard and long hair. “After recovering the swami’s photo, we showed it to Rana for confirmation (if he was the man who hired them to kill Bhardwaj). Now we are seeking the help of sketch artists to visualise how he might look with a clean shave and shorter hair,” the sources said.
Several Delhi Police teams carried out raids on possible hideouts of the swami — who hails from Bahadurgarh in Haryana. Police officials believe that he was engaged in a serious dispute with Bhardwaj over a 30-acre prime plot in Haridwar.
Earlier on Monday night, it has now emerged, cops raided a possible hideout of the swami near Birla Mandir on Mandir Marg and confiscated certain documents and a personal computer.
The sources say the police believes Pratibhanand does not have a base camp and there is a possibility that he is a con artist. “Several satsang sabhas of the Swami have been held in Haridwar, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat and Delhi. Rana was in contact with the Swami since 2004 as he used to work as his driver,” the sources added.
Pratibhanand’s role emerged when the police managed to net contract killers Purushottam Rana, Sunil Mann and Amit - the trio that allegedly gunned down Bhardwaj in his home. Sources said that sustained interrogation of Rana revealed that it was the guru who had provided crucial information about Bhardwaj’s daily routine and the layout of the farmhouse.
“The plot to kill Bhardwaj had been afoot since last December and they had even tried to eliminate him in Haridwar when he had gone to attend the Satsang Sabha of the swami in the following months of January and February.