Contract killers have been behind many sensational murders that troubled the police forces in the national Capital and its peripheral areas. This illicit industry attracts unemployed youths or college dropouts who get lured by the quick money that they would earn, top police sources said.
The latest instance that rattled neighbouring Ghaziabad police was the murder attempt on BJP leader Brijpal Teotia. Investigations revealed that the attack on Teotia’s life was carried out by contract killers who were armed with sophisticated AK-47 assault rifles and sprayed bullets on him after his car was waylaid.
Senior police officers said “supari” (contract) killing can be carried out by hardened criminals who are part of a gang. It brings fame to them among gang members as such killings are considered to be daring in the world of crime, they added.
“There are two types of criminals who generally engage in such activity — small-time thieves, burglars, snatchers who are not satisfied with their little earning from stealing and others are wannabe gangsters who want to rise up in the crime hierarchy by forming their own gangs or prove their loyalty to the gang leader,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police, Crime Branch (South) Bhisham Singh.
Some criminals willingly get into such a profession whereas many are led into the job. “For example, a college dropout or persons with little means would be desperate to get some job or money. They get in touch with people who in turn get them introduced to criminals who make them part of their group and commit various crimes,” said the DCP.
But what, the police officials emphasised on, was “generally if a person becomes a criminal, he always remains criminal”. Once a person is punished and labelled as a criminal, society hardly accepts such an individual and the only people who would accept him back are his partners in crime.
Easy availability of sophisticated weapons in the national Capital has added lethal dimensions to it. Weapons illegally made in Munger in Bihar and Khargone, Barwani and Khandwa near Madhya Pradesh-Maharashtra border are smuggled into New Delhi. However, guns are useless without bullets, which cannot be illegally made. From where do these criminals get bulletsIJ
“The bullets are illegally sold. Say a licenced gun holder is supposed to get 30 bullets a year. After buying a gun from a gunhouse, their names, address with signatures are registered and kept as a document. These documents are forged and the bullets are sold illegally. Sometimes, the arms dealer, who has a licence for himself, sells his bullets for huge amount. Crime Branch will initiate probe into this and has identified few gun houses,” said the official.
The vehicles used in the commission of crime are generally arranged from autolifters.
Records available with the Delhi Police say that five major contract killings had taken place during last four decades. Though there have been a number of suspected ‘supari’ murders in the last few years, investigators did not get enough material to confirm whether these murders were the handiwork of supari killers, said the official.
The most talked about contract killing was carried out in March 26, 2013 when hired killers shot dead BSP leader and big time realtor Deepak Bharadwaj. This murder had generated an intense debate over ‘supari’ killings. What was more baffling was the fact the ‘supari’ to kill Bhradwaj was given by his own youngest son Nitesh.
Investigations by South District police had revealed that a supari of Rs 6 crore was paid to bump off Bhardawaj. Till date this is the biggest ever amount paid to contract killers. Bhardwaj’s killers were not professional sharp shooters. While Purushottam Rana, alias Monu, was a driver, and the other Sunil Mann, alias Sonu, an aspiring model. This clearly showed amount of money may make ordinary people criminals as well, said a police official with Delhi Police Crime Branch.
Special Commissioner of Police (Crime) Taj Hassan said, “If a person hires a contract killer, he would always go to a gang lord, who would in turn appoint a criminal associated with the gang. The killers are more professional with their work and do not leak anything making it difficult for the police to trace the main conspirator.”
“High profile contract killing has become rare now. It is generally one gang trying to kill members of rival gangs. In such scenarios, local criminals, waiting for an assignment to prove their mettle are hired for a meagre sum. It is a common phenomenon around Najafgarh,” he added.
Hassan further said, “Criminals who are willing to rise in the world of crime can kill anyone for a small sum of Rs 5,000. Although they are desperate, they also have the fear of failing an assignment as their employer would eliminate them to erase evidence. Even if they are successful, they are always under police scanner.”
Payment for a contract killing job depends on who the target is and who gets hired to eliminate the target. It also depends on how the job is to be conducted, said another official of Crime Branch.
“If the contract killers have to perform the task while facing the target in a crowded place and shoots him/her from a point blank range, generally the payment for such killings is low unless the person to be bumped off is a high profile one,” added the official.
Take the instance of the murder of MM Khan, the legal counsel of the NDMC lawyer who was murdered by two contract killers for a paltry sum of Rs 2 lakh. The killers were paid Rs 50,000 in advance by the conspirator via a middleman. Khan was shot dead on May 18 last near his residence in Jamia Nagar area of South east Delhi.
Investigations had revealed that conspirator Ramesh Kakkar who was worried that Khan would give an adverse legal opinion regarding the lease of Hotel Connaught had approached a criminal who incidentally was also a police informer. Since the task was to be executed in the crowded Jamia Nagar, the supari was given to an outsider as no local criminal would have dared to execute the same in Jamia Nagar, added the official.
The modus operandi in such killing is most important as the main conspirator never speaks to the actual killers and that the killer most of the times do not know the reason why he has been assigned to kill a particular person. The middleman between the main conspirator and the killer generally arranges the weapons to be used for a contract killing, the official said.
Earlier, most sharpshooters used to be from Uttar Pradesh and Mumbai but nowadays local shooters are preferred as they are aware of the topography of the area are more comfortable in executing their assignment.
“Socio-economic reasons draw youth to crime. After stepping into the crime world, an individual wants to develop his name in order to get into famous gangs. Sometimes they want to become their bosses’ right hand this way,” said a senior police official.
According to the police, contract killing has changed a lot in the last decade. Another incident worth mentioning is about the arrest of a notorious contract killer Jaggu Pehelwan by the Special Cell way back in 2011. “It was revealed after his arrest that he was given a list of people to kill and was offered Rs 5 lakh for eliminating each on the list,” said the official.