A whistle blower Sunil Pandey (40) was killed on Tuesday December 8 in a road side hotel at Bhandar under Vishrampur police station in Palamu. locals said Pandey had filed a PIl in the Jharkhand High Court Ranchi. According to sources the deceased had unfolded the nexus among some security personnel, Tritiya Prasthuti Committee (TPC, a splinter group of Naxals) and another Naxal outfit named JJMP. They further said that Pandey had also done an expose on the money laundering of the Naxals in which the hands of some men in uniform were stained.
Sources also said the deceased Pandey had more than a dozen CDs in this regard. There were voices of many recorded too by him to buttress his parade of allegations of the deep seated nexus.
DIG Saket Kumar Singh confirmed the murder of Pandey at Bhandar on Tuesday. He did not rule out this murder as a targeted one. The assailant made no mistake, he added. Motive behind this day light murder is being investigated, he said.
On being asked about the PIl filed by the deceased Pandey deputy superintendent of police ( DSP) Hira lal Ravi said, “I am told of this PIl filed by him.” Ravi said the deceased used to come to his office quite often. Asked if Pandey had ever complained of threat to his life or given any petition seeking police protection for his life DSP Ravi said, “So far I remember there is no such written thing in this regard.”
Sources said Pandey was under pressure to withdraw the PIl. Giving details of Pandey’s murder DSP Ravi said, “The deceased was having tea this Tuesday in a road side hotel at Bhandar. Three men came on a bike. These three too took tea. One of the three stood, took out a pistol and fired point blank in the head of Pandey who fell dead.”The assailant must be knowing Pandey well added DSP Ravi. After commission of crime the three fled from the scene.Police have swung into action. Police are quizzing the staff of the hotel where this crime took place.
On the antecedence of the deceased DSP Ravi said, “He was once jailed. It was a case of extortion. There was section of arms act invoked against the deceased”.
On being asked if this day light daring murder of Pandey could be linked or related to his filing of the PIl, DIG police Saket said, “The assailant(s) would be definitely caught and only then things would unfold.” The DIG further added the deceased had a divorce case against him too.
Irate residents of Bhandar blocked the road for a couple of hours in protest against the murder demanding arrest of the assailants.