Investigators are grappling with role of spiritual gurus whose names have surfaced during the on-going probe to identify the main character who gave the Supari (contract) to eliminate Deepak Bhardwaj. Apart from the prime suspect Swami Pratibhanand, the police are also probing the role of two other spiritual gurus in the case. Bhardwaj was known to solicit spiritual gurus and one Anand Ji Maharaj of Gurgaon, Swami Pratibhanand from Kankhal in Haridwar and one mysterious God Man from Jind in Haryana were frequent visitors to his sprawling Rajokari farmhouse.
Police have managed to identify the real motive behind the sensational killing, though its probe is veering around property dispute and political rivalry. South district police on Wednesday recovered Skoda laura car used by alleged contract killers Purushottam Rana alias Monu, Sunil Mann and driver Amit from Jhajjar district in Haryana while the second getaway car, a Santro has been recovered from Rohini in Outer Delhi.
Meanwhile, several Delhi Police teams carried out raids on the all possible hideouts of Swami Pratibhanand, the prime suspect in the murder of multi-millionaire realtor Deepak Bhardwaj in Kankhal and Vrindavan towns Swami Pratimanand, however, remained elusive.
Pratibhanand hails from Bahadurgarh in Haryana and was reportedly having a serious dispute over 30 acres of prime land in Haridwar. Investigators now suspect that Pratibhanand went underground after it arrested Purushottam, one of the killers. Investigations have revealed that Purushottam had worked as a driver with Swami Pratibhanand and was doing many dirty jobs at his behest. Purushottam, a resident of village Kheda Kalan in Outer Delhi, reportedly runs a gang and is said to have been involved in many criminal cases. Sources said the property dispute between Bhardwaj and his spiritual guru was main reason behind the murder.
Police have scanned the call details of Swami Pratibhanand and Bhardwaj and some of their cronies to get to the bottom of the motive.
A senior police official, involved in the investigations, said that the scrutiny of the murder spot and the use of weapons had led them to believe that contract killers were involved into it. The killers had used country-made weapon to eliminate leads for the investigators as licensed weapons contain written records and are easy to be tracked down on the basis of the bullets, empties and the led recovered from the spot and the body of the deceased. The use of a fast running car in the crime also indicated that money was involved into it and the killers were briefed about the topography of the 35 acre farmhouse of Bhardwaj. The trail started from the CCTV footage and the killers were identified during the course of investigations. Though they have been changing their statements and parroting a pre-rehearsed line but the sleuths have broken through their defence.
A police team has been scouring a canal in Rohtak district, where the accused had thrown the murder weapon. DCP, South district Chhaya Sharma said, “The probe was quite wide open and loose ends were being tied up. We have recovered both the vehicles used by the accused persons and efforts were on to recover the murder weapon and we will be taking all those arrested in this connection to the spot for the recovery”.
It may be recalled that investigators have questioned the wife and two sons of slain Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader and many others to unravel the mystery behind the planned killing. It has also emerged that the conspiracy was hatched some four months ago and the killers had tried to liquidate Bhardwaj on earlier occasions to during his visits to Haridwar but could not succeed.
“This particular murder is enveloped in a vortex of intrigue and there is a complex chain of conspirators who passed on the contract from one to another with the sole aim to confound the police. However, the real motive is now amply clear and the picture of the main conspirator is in the possession of South District police. The story will be complete once Swamy Pratibhanand is arrested,” sources added.