With the arrest of two accused, the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday claimed to have solved the much-talked about murder case of techie Ankit Chauhan in 2015 here, saying he was killed for resisting a loot bid.
One accused was arrested from Dhaula Kuan in Delhi and while another was nabbed from Ghaziabad, said Amitabh Yash the Inspector General of Police (IGP) of STF. Police have also seized the car and fake number plate used in committing the crime. He said the CBI had sought the help of the STF in arresting the accused.
The IGP said the accused wanted to loot the Ankit’s car but could not do so as a crowd had gathered on hearing the gun-shot. Twenty-seven-year-old software engineer Ankit was shot dead on April 13, 2015, on a busy stretch in Noida’s Sector-76 when he was returning after meeting his wife Ameesha, who is also a software engineer. The two had been married for just 34 days before his death.
The accused were identified as Shashank Jadon, an engineer, and Manoj Kumar while third accused Pankaj had died of liver disease.
During interrogation, the accused told police that Pankaj had taken Rs 4 lakh loan from Shashank and then refused to return it. later, the trio hatched a plan to rob Ankit’s car to recover their loss.
At the time of the murder, Ankit was with his cousin Gagan when the assailants first overtook his SUV and fired at the windscreen. One of the assailants then got out of the car, shot Ankit in the neck, and sped away. He was taken to Kailash Hospital, but he was declared brought dead.
Ankit’s father Dharamveer Chauhan had then said he suspected role of Ameesha and Gagan in the murder. Police had questioned both of them, but dismissed their involvement for lack of any evidence.
It may be recalled that in June last year, the Allahabad High Court had transferred the case to the CBI after Noida police failed to crack the case even after one year.
The move had come after Ankit’s father filed a criminal writ petition demanding that the probe be handed over to the CBI. later, the CBI had announced Rs 5 lakh reward for anyone who helps it solve the case.