Land dispute behind BJP leader's murder Police

Ranchi, Apr 10 (PTI) Police on Thursday said that land dispute was the prime reason behind the murder of BJP leader Anil Mahto, also known as Anil Tiger.
    Mahto, the BJP's Ranchi Rural district general secretary, was shot dead by motorcycle-borne assailants in the state capital on March 26. He was also a former Zilla parishad member.
    Five people have been arrested so far in connection with the murder, a police officer said.
    "Devbrat Nath Shahdeo and Abhishek Sinha, alias Suraj Sinha, were the masterminds behind the murder. The planning of the murder was devised in Kolkata. Devbrat and Abhishek are still absconding, and raids are being conducted to apprehend them," Ranchi DIG-cum-Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Chandan Kumar Sinha told reporters.
    Abhishek hired two shooters, Rohit Verma and Aman Singh, and paid them Rs 2 lakh to execute the task, the SSP said.
    Rohit was arrested a day after the murder on March 27, while four other individuals arrested by the police were identified as Aman Singh (27), Zishan Akhtar (27), Manish Chourasiya (23), and Ajay Kumar Rajak (24), the SSP added.
    The murder is linked to a disputed 10 acres of land in Kanke. Devbrat allegedly wanted to occupy the land, which was being protested by BJP leader Anil Mahto. Several rounds of discussions had been held between them since 2023 to settle the issue.
    "During interrogation, it was revealed that Anil Mahto had sought Rs 4.5 crore to resolve the matter. But, the issue could not be sorted out at that time," according to a police statement.
    Devbrat then decided to construct an approach road on the disputed land using funds from an MP's allocation.
    "He also organised a programme for the foundation laying of the road by the MP. After Anil Mahto's protest, the MP returned without laying the foundation. Thereafter, Devbrat began devising a plan to eliminate Anil Mahto," the statement added.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)