Cracking the serial murder mysteries that rocked the city during the past eight months, the district police arrested four persons who were responsible for the crimes like murder, and firing across the steel city.Those arrested included a police constable, Anjan Kumar Shukla (30), who was presently posted at Golmuri police line. The other three were identified as Mangal Tiwary, Manish Pandey, and Kanhaiya Jha.
The police has also recovered three fire-arms, including two pistols of 7.65 range and huge quantity of ammunition, one sim card, one cell-phone and two stolen bikes from their possession.
Addressing deputy inspector general (DIG) Kolhan, Mohammed Nehal said that the arresting is a big achievement for the police. Those arrested were involved in nine crime cases including the murder of Tata Motors limited’s executive Brajesh Sahay and Tata Steel executive Ratnesh Kumar.
“As per our investigation constable No 1885 Anjan Shukla was the mastermind behind the serial crimes and the rest three accused would assist Pandey in getting the crime plan executed,” said the DIG. Nehal lauded the efforts of senior superintendent of police, Amol V Homkar and superintendent of police Karthi S and deputy superintendent of police (law and order) VN Singh in cracking the mystery.
Nehal, when queried, said that the constable Shukla, had started committing the crime after he was suspended in October 2013 and continued with the crime even after he was reinstated in the police department in May this year.The last crime, the gang had committed was on July 21 when it had demanded Rs 20 lakh from a Tata Motors ltd’s contractor Satish Prasad and had threatened him with dire consequence.
According to Nehal, the extortion call made to the contractor was the turning point for the police to nail the gang finally.“After getting a complaint from the contractor the senior SP had set up a team of police officers and put the callers’ cell-phone on surveillance. On being grilled, Shukla confessed the crimes he committed and divulged everything,” said the DIG. He said after the arrest of the constable, rest of the gang members were also arrested one after another shortly.
According to the Nehal, Shukla and his three associates would move around the city on their two bikes and would stop at the sight of any car-rider. The four would either follow the car or would try to shoot the car owner while the latter gets down from the car was about to get into the vehicle.The first time the gang committed the crime was near the United Club. Forty-year-old Kumar was shot at and injured by two unidentified gunmen near the United Club in the posh Northern Town area in Bistupur on November 23. The victim who is a member of the United Club was about to board his car parked outside the club as the attack had taken place.
A resident of Sonari, Kumar was attacked by two bike-borne criminals.On December 15, the gang shot dead former Army man, lalit Kumar at Gadra in Parsudih. On December 22, the gang shot dead Tata Motors ltd’s AGM, Brajesh Sahay near his residence at Nildih under Telco police station area while the victim was getting down his car. On February 27, 2014,the gang shot at and injured owner of a fast-food vendor at Gadra under Govindpur police station area.
The gang shot at and fatally injured Tata Steel executive Ratnesh Raj on March 10 this year at Ghurabandha while the victim was getting down from his car.