Nafe Singh Rathee’s murder: Cops suspect involvement of UK-based gangster
Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij told the state assembly that the murder case would be investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation
The Haryana Police investigating the murder of INLD leader Nafe Singh Rathee said they suspected a UK-based gangster to be involved in the case.
A total of 15 suspects have been included in the FIR that has been filed, including former BJP MLA Naresh Kaushik, Gaurav Rathee, Satish Rathee, Karambir Rathee, Ramesh Rathee, Kamal, Rahul, Rajpal Sharma, Sandeep Rathee, and Virendra Rathee. Five of the accused in the FIR are unnamed.
Gangster allegedly behind other political murders
The gangster based in the United Kingdom has allegedly been behind other political murders in the past, including that of a BJP leader in Delhi some months ago. The police said they would interrogate a close associate of the gangster incarcerated in Delhi’s Tihar jail. They have already questioned one of the top gangsters in Haryana, Sandeep alias Kala Jathedi, who is also behind bars in the same jail.
The police have launched a search for the i20 car that was used by the assailants who killed the INLD leader.
Ambush at railway crossing
The ambush took place on Sunday (February 25) when the vehicle carrying Nafe Singh Rathee stopped at a railway crossing in Jhajjar district in Haryana. Five men emerged from the i20 car behind them with guns and proceeded to shoot indiscriminately at the SUV carrying Rathee and his associates, killing Rathee and one of his aides. Two others were critically injured. The assailants told Rakesh, Rathee’s nephew who was driving the car, that they were sparing his life so that he could inform his family, according to the FIR that was filed based on his police complaint.
The Delhi Police’s Crime Branch and Special Cell who have been working with the police of other states on interstate gangsters’ networks visited the crime scene in Jhajjar. They suspect that hitmen associated with jailed gangsters like Kala Jathedi, Lawrence Bishnoi, and even another foreign-based gangster believed to be in Portugal, Himanshu Bhau, could be involved in this case. These gangs are known for being involved in extortion rackets and contract killings in Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Delhi-NCR.
“It is suspected that gang members of jailed gangsters might have taken the contract to eliminate Rathee for money,” a Delhi police official told PTI.
Breakdown of law and order: Opposition
The opposition parties in Haryana have attacked the state government saying that there is a breakdown of law and order in the state. Calling it the “first political murder” in the state, the opposition is demanding a CBI probe monitored by a high court judge.
The Haryana home minister Anil Vij refuted the charge of the opposition that law and order has collapsed, and announced in the state assembly that the case would be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar paid tributes to the slain INLD leader Nafe Singh Rathee in the state assembly, and promised that the culprits would be brought to justice.
