Dehradun police on Monday arrested Sudha Patwal from Vasant Vihar, for her alleged involvement in the murder of Yudhveer Singh Rawat, ex-PRO of Uttarakhand Cabinet Minister Harak Singh Rawat. Two of the accused in the case, however, are still at large.
Meanwhile, leader of Opposition Ajay Bhatt has demanded CBI probe into the ex-PRO’s murder case.
Police said that Indira Nagar Colony resident Sudha Patwal had allegedly taken Rs 14 lakh from Yudhveer Singh for enrolling a candidate in MBBS degree course in Shri Guru Ram Rai Institute of Medical and Health Sciences.
Senior Superintendent of Police Kewal Khurana said that during interrogation, Patwal admitted that she, with the help of her acquaintances Meerut (Uttar Pradesh) native Hari Om Vashishth and another man on August 9, eliminated Yudhveer.
However, Patwal said that Police had arrested her from the residence of Cabinet Minister Harak Singh Rawat whom she has known for the last five years.
It will be recalled that Jakholi (Rudraprayag) resident Yudhveer Singh Rawat's body was found beside Rajpur Road on August 9. Following this, Rawat’s brother Pradeep Singh Rawat had lodged a case against unidentified persons.
Consequently, Khurana formed a police team headed by SP City Jagdish Chandra, CO Mussoorie Jaya Baloni and special operation group. The victim's mobile phone call details were reviewed and based on this, Patwal was interrogated but she denied involvement in this incident.
Deceased’s brother PS Rawat and his friend Uttarkashi resident Nirmal Chauhan alleged that Patwal had murdered Yudhveer because he had asked for the money back.
Chauhan said that Yudhveer told him accompany him and carry a bag as Patwal was bringing the money. When he reached near Sai temple, he found no one there and Yudhveer’s mobile phone was also switched off. He then returned from there and heard about the murder next day.
Patwal said that Yudhveer had given her Rs 14 lakh for enrolling a candidate in MBBS degree courses in SGRR Medical College on June 25 and remaining Rs four lakh was to be given after admission. As per agreement, she would be paid Rs 18 lakh for facilitating the admission.
According to Patwal, in between, she was busy in her daughter’s admission in Delhi and she spent all received money.
Pradeep and Yudhveer were pressurising her for the admission of candidate. She demanded a demand draft of Rs 5,23,500 for the admission fixed on August 7. Yudhveer and Pradeep had phoned her on August 7 but said that she would return his money on August 8. Initially, she told Yudhveer to reach Gandhi Park and later at Gurudwara, Patelnagar. Unable to arrange the money, she contacted Meerut resident Vashishth who agreed to eliminate Rawat.
Vashishth reached Dehradun on August 1 and later met her at Prince Chowk. Patwal had arranged a meeting with Yudhveer at Patelnagar petrol pump by introducing Vashishth as Anil Srivastava, SGRR Medical college administrative officer.
Vashishth said that he received admission money from Patwal and he had given this money to a college official who was out of station and return on the next day after which the money would be returned. Yudhveer insisted on getting the money on same day than she said that her relative lived in Rajpur and she would repay him there. She took him pillion on her two wheeler to Rajpur Road. As per plan, Vashishth, along with his friend, had already reached the site where he hit him with a rod. later, Patwal along with Vashishth's friend killed Yudhveer. A case under sections 420/406/506 of IPC against Patwal had been lodged in Harpur (Utter Pradesh) police station by Dr Bhojveer as she had taken cash of Rs 15 lakh for admission in MBBS degree course in the private college.