Nafe Singh Rathi Murder Case: The INLD chief was murdered on February 25.
New Delhi:
Two shooters involved in the sensational murder of Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) chief Nafe Singh Rathi last month were arrested today. The arrested individuals, identified as Saurabh and Ashish, were captured in a joint operation between Haryana Police and the Special Cell of Delhi Police carried out in Goa. Both shooters are reportedly associated with the notorious Kapil Sangwan gang.
On February 25, at a railway crossing in Haryana’s Jhajjar district, a Toyota Fortuner carrying Mr Rathi came to an unexpected halt, only to be ambushed by a mysterious i20 car. A cinematic scene ensued as five men emerged, unleashing a hail of bullets upon the SUV. The 66-year-old Mr Rathi and a loyal aide were killed, while two others fought for survival in critical condition. The assailants spared the life of Mr Rathi’s nephew, who was driving the vehicle, instructing him to inform the family about the incident.
Jhajjar Superintendent of Police, Arpit Jain, said that efforts are underway to identify and arrest the other shooters. The car used by the attackers has already been recovered.
The four main suspects in the murder have been identified, and police teams are conducting raids across different states to apprehend them, Mr Jain said. The investigation has also extended to questioning individuals named in the FIR, including former BJP MLA Naresh Kaushik and others like Vijender Rathee, Sandeep Rathee, and Rajpal alias Pale Ram.
One individual, Dilip Singh, a resident of Rajasthan’s Balotra, has been arrested in connection with threat calls made to the two sons of the late INLD leader. However, during questioning, he was not found to have any direct ties to known gangsters or criminal networks. Singh, who was following some gangsters on social media, remains under interrogation, police said.
Nafe Singh Rathi’s family had reported receiving 18 threat calls from an unknown number. Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij announced earlier this week that the investigation into Mr Rathi’s killing would be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Senior INLD leader Abhay Singh Chautala has accused the BJP-JJP government in Haryana of failing to provide adequate security to Rathi despite threats to his life.