Rajasthan | How Rajput leader’s murder was planned, executed: Step-by-step account
The conspiracy to gun down Rajput leader Gogamedi at his residence was hatched by Canada-based gangster Rohit Godara, who executed the murder with the help of his henchman, Virendra Charan
As the two key shooters who allegedly shot down Rajput leader and Karni Sena chief Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi in Jaipur, were arrested on December 9 (Saturday) after a massive police hunt, the trail of this sensational murder that rocked Rajasthan, can ostensibly be traced all the way to Canada.
According to reports quoting police sources, the conspiracy to gun down the 50-year-old Rajput leader at his residence on December 5, was hatched by Canada-based gangster Rohit Godara, who executed the murder with the help of his henchman, Virendra Charan. However, the two killers and their accomplices, who were on the run after the murder, were nabbed by the police this weekend. They were caught from a hotel in sector 22 in Chandigarh in a joint operation by the Rajasthan and Delhi police. Preliminary investigations are giving the police an idea how this murder was plotted and executed.
Mobster saga
This entire mobster saga started on December 5 when in Mario Puzo style, two young men - Rohit Rathore and Nitin Fauji - out of the four seated at Gogamedi’s Jaipur home sipping tea, whipped out guns and shot multiple times at the Rajput leader. While Gogamedi fell, his private security guard who tried to stop the killers got injured on his leg. And, the third assailant Naveen Singh Shekhawat who had come along with the killers, was shot and killed. At first, police said he was shot in the cross-fire.
Later, there was a twist to the tale as after examining CCTV footage the police found Shekhawat probably got cold feet and was trying to prevent the two from shooting Gogamedi. Police sources said he was then probably killed by his own associates Rathore and Fauji, reported NDTV.
While the killers fled, ostensibly helped by one Ramveer Jat, on a bike and dropped them off at Ajmer road. Gogamedi was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Protests rocked Rajasthan as the powerful Rajput community came out in droves to mourn his death. Gogamedi, who was the president of the right-wing outfit Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena, shot to national fame for attacking Bollywood director Leela Bhansali during the film shooting of Padmavat.
Rohit Godara plot
Meanwhile, Rajasthan's most wanted gangster and arms dealer, Rohit Godara, closely associated with Goldie Brar and Lawrence Bishnoi's gangs, claimed responsibility for the murder.
Rohit Godara had earlier written in a Facebook post that Gogamedi was helping their enemies and that prompted the attack. Police alleged that there was a property dispute going on between them.
However, police investigations now have revealed that Godara, who is now reportedly based in Canada, hatched this plan to kill Godamedi, while he was in Ajmer jail on a rape charge. It is there he had met Virendra Charan who agreed to help him kill Godamedi. According to news reports, Godara was angry with Godamedi since he was responsible for him being in jail.
Charan roped in Nitin Fauji who was in jail for a theft case. He promised to arrange a fake passport and a Canadian visa for him, if he would help them in Gogamedi’s killing.
Ramveer Jat, who was arrested by Jaipur City Police on Saturday, got in the second shooter, Rohit Rathore who had a dispute with Gogamedi. Rathore in turn brought in the ill-fated Shekhawat. They hatched the plan and were in touch with Charan all along, which also helped the police to catch them.
Charan apparently sent them the guns. Sources told PTI that the duo, Rathore who hailed from Jaipur and Fauji from Haryana's Mahendragarh, had planned to flee the country and had been allegedly promised ₹50,000 each to kill Gogamedi.
On the run
After the murder in Jaipur, Nitin Fauji and Rohit Rathore buried the guns near a hotel in the city and fled to Didwana in Rajasthan in a taxi and further to Daaruheda in Haryana. Here, they boarded a train to Hisar. While they wre on the run with a ₹5 lakh cash reward on their heads, the police were tracking them through CCTV footage.
From Daaruheda, the two along with another accomplice Udham Singh, went to Manali in Himachal Pradesh by bus, and then returned to Chandigarh. Udham Singh was allegedly providing them logistical support for evading arrest.
According to another police officer, Fauji and Udham Singh became acquainted after they underwent training for the Indian Army at the same centre, four years ago.
The trio used forged aadhar cards with the names of Devender, Jaiveer and Sukhbir to book a room at Hotel Kamal Palace. Based on a tip-off about their whereabouts, a team of Delhi Police Crime Branch accompanied by Rajasthan police reached the hotel at about 8.30 pm on Saturday night and nabbed the trio, the officer added.
"The trio have been taken to Jaipur by Rajasthan police for further interrogation," deputy commissioner of police (Crime) Amit Goel told PTI.
Goel said the arms used in the commission of the crime are yet to be recovered.
Fauji, who had been in the Indian army was a deserter and was previously involved in a kidnapping case and attack on a cop in Haryana, while Rathore, too, has previous criminal records and spent some time in jail, the officer said.
The duo were also asked to remain underground until they got the passports and visas they were promised. From Chandigarh, they had a plan to go towards Goa and further in south India, the sources added.
(With agency inputs)
