The police have picked up about half-a-dozen businessmen and builders having links with Akhilesh Singh, the prime accused in JMM leader Upendra Singh murder case. Among those interrogated include owner of Pardih-based hotel, Citi Inn, Binod Singh, scrap mafia Chintu Bhalotia, Sanjay Palsania and builder Jitendra Prasad.
Most of these businessmen and builders are being probed at Sakchi police station. Some others are also being grilled at Golmuri thana.
Hotelier Binod Singh has been released in the wee hours of Sunday after his two-day long interrogation, others including Bhalotia, Palsania and Prasad are still in police custody for the interrogation.
According to sources these businessmen and builders provided financial support to the gangster who has a network spread across the Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and even in Delhi. These businessmen used to assist Akhilesh in making his money earned through mainly extortion, commission in scrap-iron business and contract job.
Superintendent of police (city) Prashant Anand confirmed about sending separate teams of police officials out of station for tracing Akhilesh Singh and also interrogation of some people connected to the gangster.
"We are on a mission to nab Akhilesh Singh so that we may bring him to the justice in connection with the Upendra Singh murder case in which he has figured as the conspirator. We are confident to arrest him soon," said Anand while talking to .
A police officer who is in the probing team said they had picked up Binod Singh as Akhilesh and his group used to visit Citi Inn located in
the suburban Pardih along the NH-33.
" As per our information Binod has also provided a residential flat to Akhilesh at Shristi Garden in Baridih, where the gangster used to stay whenever he would come to the steel city," said the police officer on condition of anonymity.
The police officer said they picked up Palsania who has gifted an Audi car to the gangster. "We are trying to find out behind the reason of gifting a costly car to the gangster by Palsania who is a resident of Telco.," said the police officer.
Talking to , the police officer said that by interrogating the businessmen and real estate traders they are not only trying to find out the gangster's whereabouts, but also disassociate them from carrying out business dealing so that the gangster may get financial weakened.
Though three days have passed since name of gangster Akhilesh Singh's name figured as conspirator in the Upendra Singh murder case, the police are yet to get the whereabouts of the gangster despite frantic efforts made during this period.
Singh stepped into the crime world by abducting the mobil merchant Om Prakash Kabra on July 21, 2001. After his name figured in the Kabra abduction case, he had surrendered in the court on August 6, 2001.
He fled the judicial custody on February 18, 2002. He was arrested from Varanasi on October 7, 2004. On September 2, 2007, he was granted a parole for attending his ailing mother.