With the arrest of 11 persons including two Congress leaders, the Chhattisgarh Police on Friday claimed to have solved the murder of local BJP leader Asim Rai a few days ago at Pakhanjore town of Kanker district.
The shooter is said to be on the run.
Congress leader and Pakhanjore Nagar Panchayat president Bappa Ganguly, Congress corporator Vikas Pal and nine others have been taken into custody, Kanker Superintendent of Police Divyang Patel said.
Efforts are on to nab Vikas Talukdar who shot Rai on Sunday (January 7) night.
Rai (50), a former chairman of the Pakhanjur Nagar Panchayat, was the corporator and also vice president of the Kanker district unit of the BJP.
Initially, the police detained Nilratan Mandal following a tip, who confessed his involvement in the killing and also named the others.
He told the police that Ganguly was upset with a ‘no confidence motion’ moved against him by Rai after the BJP took power in Chhattisgarh.
He and two others assigned Somendra Mandal to kill Rai.
Ganguly and another person allegedly paid Rs 7 lakhs to have Rai killed. Rai was killed in Purana Bazar area of the town.
The police seized a motorcycle used in the crime, Rs 3.50 lakhs in cash, a bullet and other items.