Five persons have been nabbed for their alleged involvement in the killing of gangster Raju Theth in a hail of bullets at the gate of his house in Sikar district of Rajasthan, a police official said.
Theth was shot dead on Saturday. A man, Tarachand Kadwasara, who had gone to meet his daughter studying in a coaching institute there was also hit by bullets and died. The accused fired at him thinking that he was Theth's aide.
After the murder, a man identifying himself on Facebook as a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, claimed responsibility for the killing but later deleted it and posted a new one, saying he has no regrets.
According to the police, Theth, who had more than 30 criminal cases against him, had a rivalry with the dreaded criminal Anandpal Singh, killed in a police encounter in June 2017. Out on bail, he used to live a luxurious life and had political ambitions.
Director General of Police (DGP) Umesh Mishra said in Jaipur that the police have caught Sikar residents Manish Jat and Vikram Gurjar, and Haryana's Satish Kumhar, Jatin Meghwal and Navin Meghwal. The police personnel who caught the accused will be rewarded, the police chief said.
In a tweet, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said, "Five accused of yesterday's murder case in Sikar have been arrested along with recovery of their weapons and vehicles. Speedy trial of all these accused will be ensured by the court to give them severe punishment at the earliest."
The assailants had snatched the keys of Kadwasara's car and escaped, police said.
Hours after the murder, a speeding car, believed to be carrying the accused, was spotted in Jhunjhunu district by some locals who claimed that the occupants opened fire at some labourers repairing the road to get the way cleared, police said.
After Theth was shot dead on Saturday, a man named Rohit Godara, who introduced himself as a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang on Facebook, claimed responsibility for the killing, saying it was to avenge the death of Anandpal Singh and Balbir Banuda.
Banuda, a member of the Anandpal gang, was killed in a gang war in Bikaner jail in July 2014 and it was alleged that Theth was behind the murder. The Facebook post was later deleted.
However, Godara shared another post on Facebook at night, saying Theth was his enemy and he has no regrets about his killing but apologised to the family of Kadwasara, a farmer from Nagaur district, and his community.
He also said that he will try to support Kadwasara's family in every possible manner.
A CCTV footage has surfaced on the Internet in which the accused are seen present with Theth at the gate of his house. Shortly after, a tractor-trolley also reached in front of the house and it was stranded when the assailants opened fire at Theth. Officials suspect that the tractor driver was also involved in the crime.
In another video clip, the accused were seen fleeing after killing Theth.
Family members and relatives of Theht and Kadwasara sat on dharna in front of the mortuary of the district hospital in Sikar on Saturday demanding the arrest of the accused. Congress MLA Mukesh Bhakar from Ladnu in Nagaur was also present at the dharna.
