2 arrested over contract killing of transwoman

New Delhi: A 33-year-old wanted criminal and his associate have been arrested over the alleged contract killing of a transwoman at the GTB Enclave area last September due to a rivalry between two groups of transgenders for collecting money from the public on social occasions, police said Sunday.

With the latest arrests, the police said six people have been taken into custody in the case so far.

The accused arrested on Saturday have been identified as Gagan Bhardwaj alias Gagan Pandit, a resident of Paschim Puri in Paschim Vihar, and Varun (19), a resident of Lal Quan area, they said.

Ekta Joshi, the trans woman, was shot dead in the GTB Enclave area on September 5, 2020, police said, adding Pandit and another person, named Aamir, had allegedly fired on her.

Ekta, her step mother Anita Joshi and step brother Ashish Joshi had come to Anita's residence from Laxmi Nagar when the incident happened. Around 8.30 pm, two persons came on a scooter and fired multiple shots in which she died, they said.

Police received information regarding the accused and laid a trap near Nirankari Samagam Grounds on Saturday. The accused were spotted in a car around 5 am coming from the Majlis Park Metro Station side. They were signaled to stop, but the accused whipped out their pistols and fired at police. However, police nabbed the duo, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Pramod Singh Kushwah said.

During their questioning, Pandit came across as the mastermind behind executing the plan to kill Ekta for Rs 55 lakh, police said.

One Manzoor Elahi, a member of a group of transgenders, had approached him for killing Anita and Ekta of the rival group, the DCP said.

Elahi agreed to pay Rs 55 lakh to Pandit for the killing, police said.

The group of transgenders, headed by Sonam and Varsha of Faridabad and Kamal and Manjoor Elahi of GTB Enclave, were the rival group of Ekta and Anita, police said.

The rivalry between them was on the issue of domination of the area in Trans-Yamuna for collecting money from the people on social occasions, police said.

Pandit was previously involved in 14 cases, including one of murder, four attempt to murder, three dacoity and as many robbery, in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, they added.