Accused, his mother to be brought to Ranchi today
After much hullabaloo on the slow pace of investigation in the alleged Tara Shahdeo torture and conversion case and allegations made by the ace shooter that the administration was trying to protect Ranjeet Singh Kohli alias Raquib-ul Hassan, a team from Ranchi police finally nabbed Kohli late on Tuesday evening with help from Delhi police, in Delhi.
Jharkhand DGP Rajiv Kumar and DIG Ranchi Zone confirmed the development and said that both Kohli, prime accused in the torture and conversion case of the ace shooter, and his mother, who has been made co-accused in the case, have been held. The duo is likely to be brought to Ranchi on Wednesday morning from Delhi and presented before a court, sources said.
Sources from Delhi Police said that Kohli was arrested near Ghaziabad-Delhi border with the Ranchi team that had reached there with certain inputs of Kohli’s whereabouts.
Earlier on Tuesday Kohli had tried to prove his point through an e-mail sent to the senior police officials, including media houses. Police had meanwhile intensified the search for Kohli after obtaining arrest warrant against him.
Kohli, in his email letter to the police officials, had rejected the allegations made by his wife. “A false case was lodged against me after I refused to meet the illegal demands of money made by my wife and her family members,” stated Kohli.
Kohli, accusing her of breaking the communal harmony between the two communities, has asserted that he was a Hindu by religion, who is known only by the name of Ranjeet Singh Kohli since his childhood. “The police can also investigate the call details of mobile number —7739099216, which I gifted to my wife the day I married to her on July 7,” stated Kohli. He got married with Shahdeo traditionally as a Hindu, which is quite evident through the video recordings of his marriage ceremony, added Kohli.
According to Kohli, he is Chief Managing Director of ‘Kaushal Boitech India Private limited’ and Chairman of ‘Kaushal Vikas Sansthan’ working in the field of rural development. Kohli referring to his strong political connections has further stated that being on the top position of two organizations he had to be in contact with ministers and senior bureaucrats. He has also prayed the police officials to conduct impartial and transparent investigation in the case.
According to Ranchi Police, no documentary proof establishing Kohli as a converted Muslim has been found so far except some photographs in where he was found in Muslim outfits, which could be considered normal for any public figure.
“As of now we are considering him as a Hindu as no any documents related to his conversion has been found so far during the process of investigation,” added SSP Kumar. No international link or foreign documents have been found from any of his locations during the investigations, added Kumar.
The BJP, in the meantime, has alleged the state government of shielding Kohli as he is backed by two of its ministers in the government. BJP’s state spokesperson Kamal Khan demanded immediate removal of those ministers who have been named in this episode. Khan also demanded immediate arrest of Kohli.
Women’s wing of BJP, on the other hand, has demanded that the case be investigated by CBI or NIA. Shahdeo told the representatives of the wing that her husband started torturing her since day one of their marriage after she denied supporting him in his illegal activities. They ensured Shahdeo that they will always stand by her side in her legal battle for justice.
“Terming her husband as characterless who was in contact with several other girls, was having strong connections with some of the ministers in the government due to which police is reluctant to arrest him even after five days of lodging FIR against her husband,” said president of women’s wing Seema Sharma.