Five weeks after the brutal murder of Deputy Superintendent of Police, Zia-ul-Haq, at Kunda in Pratapgarh, the CBI cracked the case and arrested four persons, three of them related to the slain pradhan of Balipur, Nanhe Yadav.
The CBI is convinced that the officer was shot before being lynched by a mob incensed by the pradhan's killing. The CBI has recovered weapons, mobile phones and other objects that corroborate the involvement of the arrested persons in the killing of the DySP.
Recently, the CBI sleuths had recovered a blood-stained ammunition belt from a box from the house of another person killed that day, Suresh Yadav, a bloodstained wooden rod from another part of the village and the service revolver of Haq.
Confirming the arrest of the four on Saturday evening, the investigating officer and CBI DIG, Anurag Garg, said that all the four would be produced before a CBI court in lucknow on Sunday and the central agency would try to seek their custodial remand.
The breakthrough is sure to give the much needed respite to former minister of UP, Raghuraj Pratap Singh aka Raja Bhaiya, who was named as a conspirator by Haq's widow and had to resign from his ministry.
The CBI sleuths grilled several kin of Nanhe Yadav during the last fortnight. After being convinced of their roles in the DySP's killing, the CBI sleuths arrested Phool Chand Yadav, Pawan Yadav (both brothers of Nanhe Yadav), slain pradhan’s son Yogendra aka Babloo, and a private gunner Manjeet on Saturday.
During sustained grilling, it came to light that Babloo opened fire at Haq with a country- made pistol after his uncle, Suresh Yadav (Nanhe Yadav’s brother) was fatally hit by a stray bullet after his rifle went off accidentally. After the DySP was hit by the bullet. he as brutally beaten to death by the pradhan's kin.
Nanhe Yadav's family members had accused the CBI of using third degree measures on Babloo and pressurising them to own up the police officer's murder. They also accused Raja Bhaiya of handing out life threats to them against telling the truth. The slain Pradhan's in were insinuating that all three killings--of Haq, Nanhe Yadav and Suresh--were orchestrated by Raja Bhaiya.
Earlier, the CBI had arrested Ajay Pal and his brother Vijay for Nanhe Yadav’s murder and were look for their third kin, Sanjay Pal, and a shooter. The duo's s father, Kamta Pal, is also an accused in the killing.
On the night of March 2, Nanhe Yadav was murdered by his rivals at Balipur village of Kunda. On learning about the murder, DySP Zia-ul-Haq rushed to village and tried to pacify the agitated villagers. He was surrounded by a mob angered by the apathy of the local police.
As Haq tried to reason with the mob, the policemen accompanying him deserted him saving way for the pradhan’s family members to target the officer. The case was later handed over to CBI on the request of Haq's widow Parveen Azad. She accused Raja Bhaiya of a definite role in the murder.