A highly placed source in the Delhi police on Thursday shared with Millennium Post the details of investigations that have so far been carried out in the murder of BSP-leader Deepak Bharadwaj, and the various conspiracy theories and names of suspects that have cropped up during the probes. While the cops are yet to nab the mastermind behind the killing, Delhi police is on the look out for Mahant Pratibhanand, also known as Vichitra Yogi, who the cops believe, will be able to shed light on who gave the contract to murder the politician-cum-real estate tycoon.
WHO IS MAHANT PRATIBHANAND
The prime accused in the case so far, Mahant Pratibhanand is alleged to be a part of the well-planned plot that was hatched to kill Bharadwaj in a shoot-out at his 35-acre farmhouse in south Delhi's Rajokri on 26 March. Several raids have been conducted to nab him in Vrindavan, Haridwar and Bahadurgarh in Haryana, among other places, but the spiritual guru is absconding.
Over the years, he has purchased several disputed properties, especially in Haryana, with the help of the political connections that he has built in the past few decades. Hailing from Pune, over the years Mahant acquired property across the country, including in Delhi and had no fixed address. He is said to have enjoyed a very lavish lifestyle. An M.D from Sampurananda Sanskrit Vishwavidhyalya, Pune, the self-proclaimed godman was fluent in many languages, including Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi, English, Iranian and Japanese. 'A group of five boys used to wait on Mahant round-the-clock. He used five different numbers to call Purushottam Rana alias Monu, the shooter employed to kill Bharadwaj and it is said that neither of them knew each other's mobile numbers.
HOW THE SHOOTER WAS SELECTED
In 2004, Mahant appointed Purushottam Rana alias Monu, as his driver in Haridwar. Since then the two are said to have shared a friendly relationship and Rana would share all his problems with his employer. Mahant is said to have also helped Rana with money on a number of occasions. Towards the end of 2012, Mahant called Rana, and asked him whether he could kill someone if Mahant asked him to, says a source investigating the case. Rana, who was in need of money, replied in the affirmative. Mahant then allegedly asked him how much he would charge for the murder, and Rana replied, 'I will do it if you pay me between Rs 30 lakhs to Rs 50 lakhs.' Rana has told investigators that on hearing this Mahant smiled and said, 'Son, the amount you are asking for is too less. You need enough money to last you for life'. Mahant then allegedly offered him Rs 1 Crore with the condition that the target must be killed. There should be no chances of his survival. After a day-long discussion, the deal was finalised, with Rana being promised Rs 1 Crore for the job.
HOW MAHANT PREPARED RANA FOR THE JOB
Soon after the deal was finalised, Mahant gave Rana Rs. 2 lakhs as advance payment. But even after the advance was made, Mahant was apparently jittery, probably because he knew that Bharadwaj was a big name and a single mistake could land him in trouble. This would probably explain why Mahant decided to visit Delhi and spend time with Rana at his residence to prepare him for the job. It was allegedly by Mahant's order that Rana bought a new car to convey him to the farmhouse. After Mahant believed Rana to beready for the task, he went back to his Ashram in Haridwar.
WHY A SKODA
Two days after Rana received the advance payment of Rs 2 lakhs, he went to a car showroom in north-west Delhi's Adarsh Nagar area to buy a car for himself. Though he owned a Ford Figo, Rana had wished to own a Skoda for a long time. But because of his strained financial circumstances, found it difficult to even pay the monthly loan repayment for his Figo. When he approached the showroom manager to get a loan to buy the Skoda, the manager told him to get someone who could stand guarantor for him.
HOW RAKESH WAS ROPED IN
Rana had full faith in the Mahant and was confident that he would get the remaining Rs 98 lakhs, of the promised Rs 1 crore, after the murder was done. He thus asked his brother-in-law, Rakesh, to help him to buy the car on his behalf. Rakesh agreed and went to the Adarsh Nagar showroom, but the two failed to arrange for a big enough sum to buy the car. The two then decided to sell off Rana's Figo and Rakesh's Santro. They sold the cars the next day and managed to get Rs 6.5 lakhs. Rana added Rs 1.5 lakhs from the advance money given to him by Mahant. Finally they bought the Skoda Laura worth Rs 14 lakhs with a down-payment of Rs 8 lakhs. When Rakesh questioned Rana about how he would pay the rest of the loan, Rakesh apparently did not tell him anything about the murder plan.
THE ROLE OF SUNIL MANN
One day, Sunil Mann alias Sonu, the other shooter in Bharadwaj's murder came to meet Rana, whom he knew from before. Rana decided to make him an accomplice in the murder and offered him Rs 50,000 for it. Sunil agreed and he became a part of the conspiracy.
HOW AMIT JOINED THE TEAM
In March, Rana had rope-in two more persons, both his neighbours, for the operation. The four gathered at a rented accommodation in Outer Delhi's Alipur before the murder and Rana assigned each of them his role. Rana kept Mahant updated about developments and assured him that they would succeed in the act. He also sourced weapons from a man named Raju, who is absconding. On Wednesday evening, however, both the weapons including a country-made pistol were recovered from a canal in Jhajar. In mid-March, Mahant called Rana and told him that the target he was to kill was called Deepak Bharadwaj, and that the murder must take place at the target's farmhouse. Mahant also showed Rana Bharadwaj's photograph. But on 26 March, just before the murder was to be carried out, the two neighbours Rana had roped in quit and he had to hire Amit for Rs 2,000. He assigned him the job of driving the Skoda. 'You will sit in the car, and the moment you hear a gunshot, start driving the car towards the main gate,' Rana is said to have told Amit. After the murder, Rana gave Amit Rs. 2000, as decided, and told him to run.
THE MURDER
Rana and his accomplices managed to enter Nitish Kunj farmhouse in their Skoda at 8.55 am. Rana and Sunil got down from the car and started roaming about the farmhouse. When the two saw Bharadwaj walking in lawn two, they engaged him in conversation, and told him that they wished to rent his hotel for a wedding. While talking, Rana shot Bharadwaj from the front, while Sunil shot him from the back. To ensure that Bharadwaj is dead, Rana also shot him on the head. The moment, Amit heard the firing, started driving the car towards the main gate of the farmhouse, as he had been instructed. The group managed to flee to Dadri via Gurgaon, before they were nabbed by Delhi police.
THE PROBE
According to the source in Delhi police, 'officials hope that 80 per cent of the case would be solved, once Mahant is caught. So far we have not been able to establish any concrete relationship between Bharadwaj and Mahant. There is a possibility that there might have been a property dispute between the two, as both were involved in real estate business.'
Many names have cropped up in the list of suspects, including that of Ramesh Kumari, Bharadwaj's wife and his two sons, Nitesh and Hitesh. The names of two other women have also cropped up during investigations, who are said to have been engaged in illicit relationships with Bharadwaj, and their names are also included in the list of suspects. One of the two, a woman in her late twenties, is said to have been romantically involved with both Bharadwaj and his elder son Nitesh.
The other woman, works with a leading media house as a journalist. She had allegedly quit her job as a journalist to work with Bharadwaj, but rejoined the media house after a month.
'On Thursday, Nitesh was called for interrogation. After a five-hour long interrogation, he was released, but a clean chit has not been given to him yet,' the official added. Swami Anand, Bharadwaj's spirtual guru, also got entangled in the case, after the shooters had mentioned the involvement of a 'Swami' in the case. He joined investigations on Thursday. On Thursday evening, a team that had gone to carry out raids in Haryana's Bahadurgarh, where Mahant Pratibhanand was said to be residing, detained one spiritual leader.
'Mahant and the detained swami had been residents of the same ashram for about two years. He is expected to help us find Mahant's whereabouts,' the official said.
Chandra Prakash Kaushik, national president of Hindu Mahasabha told Millennium Post, 'Mahant has stayed at the Hindu Mahasabha in the past and Rana and Sunil have both visited him here. However, I do not know the purpose of their visit.'
WHO IS MAHANT PRATIBHANAND
The prime accused in the case so far, Mahant Pratibhanand is alleged to be a part of the well-planned plot that was hatched to kill Bharadwaj in a shoot-out at his 35-acre farmhouse in south Delhi's Rajokri on 26 March. Several raids have been conducted to nab him in Vrindavan, Haridwar and Bahadurgarh in Haryana, among other places, but the spiritual guru is absconding.
Over the years, he has purchased several disputed properties, especially in Haryana, with the help of the political connections that he has built in the past few decades. Hailing from Pune, over the years Mahant acquired property across the country, including in Delhi and had no fixed address. He is said to have enjoyed a very lavish lifestyle. An M.D from Sampurananda Sanskrit Vishwavidhyalya, Pune, the self-proclaimed godman was fluent in many languages, including Hindi, Marathi, Punjabi, English, Iranian and Japanese. 'A group of five boys used to wait on Mahant round-the-clock. He used five different numbers to call Purushottam Rana alias Monu, the shooter employed to kill Bharadwaj and it is said that neither of them knew each other's mobile numbers.
HOW THE SHOOTER WAS SELECTED
In 2004, Mahant appointed Purushottam Rana alias Monu, as his driver in Haridwar. Since then the two are said to have shared a friendly relationship and Rana would share all his problems with his employer. Mahant is said to have also helped Rana with money on a number of occasions. Towards the end of 2012, Mahant called Rana, and asked him whether he could kill someone if Mahant asked him to, says a source investigating the case. Rana, who was in need of money, replied in the affirmative. Mahant then allegedly asked him how much he would charge for the murder, and Rana replied, 'I will do it if you pay me between Rs 30 lakhs to Rs 50 lakhs.' Rana has told investigators that on hearing this Mahant smiled and said, 'Son, the amount you are asking for is too less. You need enough money to last you for life'. Mahant then allegedly offered him Rs 1 Crore with the condition that the target must be killed. There should be no chances of his survival. After a day-long discussion, the deal was finalised, with Rana being promised Rs 1 Crore for the job.
HOW MAHANT PREPARED RANA FOR THE JOB
Soon after the deal was finalised, Mahant gave Rana Rs. 2 lakhs as advance payment. But even after the advance was made, Mahant was apparently jittery, probably because he knew that Bharadwaj was a big name and a single mistake could land him in trouble. This would probably explain why Mahant decided to visit Delhi and spend time with Rana at his residence to prepare him for the job. It was allegedly by Mahant's order that Rana bought a new car to convey him to the farmhouse. After Mahant believed Rana to beready for the task, he went back to his Ashram in Haridwar.
WHY A SKODA
Two days after Rana received the advance payment of Rs 2 lakhs, he went to a car showroom in north-west Delhi's Adarsh Nagar area to buy a car for himself. Though he owned a Ford Figo, Rana had wished to own a Skoda for a long time. But because of his strained financial circumstances, found it difficult to even pay the monthly loan repayment for his Figo. When he approached the showroom manager to get a loan to buy the Skoda, the manager told him to get someone who could stand guarantor for him.
HOW RAKESH WAS ROPED IN
Rana had full faith in the Mahant and was confident that he would get the remaining Rs 98 lakhs, of the promised Rs 1 crore, after the murder was done. He thus asked his brother-in-law, Rakesh, to help him to buy the car on his behalf. Rakesh agreed and went to the Adarsh Nagar showroom, but the two failed to arrange for a big enough sum to buy the car. The two then decided to sell off Rana's Figo and Rakesh's Santro. They sold the cars the next day and managed to get Rs 6.5 lakhs. Rana added Rs 1.5 lakhs from the advance money given to him by Mahant. Finally they bought the Skoda Laura worth Rs 14 lakhs with a down-payment of Rs 8 lakhs. When Rakesh questioned Rana about how he would pay the rest of the loan, Rakesh apparently did not tell him anything about the murder plan.
THE ROLE OF SUNIL MANN
One day, Sunil Mann alias Sonu, the other shooter in Bharadwaj's murder came to meet Rana, whom he knew from before. Rana decided to make him an accomplice in the murder and offered him Rs 50,000 for it. Sunil agreed and he became a part of the conspiracy.
HOW AMIT JOINED THE TEAM
In March, Rana had rope-in two more persons, both his neighbours, for the operation. The four gathered at a rented accommodation in Outer Delhi's Alipur before the murder and Rana assigned each of them his role. Rana kept Mahant updated about developments and assured him that they would succeed in the act. He also sourced weapons from a man named Raju, who is absconding. On Wednesday evening, however, both the weapons including a country-made pistol were recovered from a canal in Jhajar. In mid-March, Mahant called Rana and told him that the target he was to kill was called Deepak Bharadwaj, and that the murder must take place at the target's farmhouse. Mahant also showed Rana Bharadwaj's photograph. But on 26 March, just before the murder was to be carried out, the two neighbours Rana had roped in quit and he had to hire Amit for Rs 2,000. He assigned him the job of driving the Skoda. 'You will sit in the car, and the moment you hear a gunshot, start driving the car towards the main gate,' Rana is said to have told Amit. After the murder, Rana gave Amit Rs. 2000, as decided, and told him to run.
THE MURDER
Rana and his accomplices managed to enter Nitish Kunj farmhouse in their Skoda at 8.55 am. Rana and Sunil got down from the car and started roaming about the farmhouse. When the two saw Bharadwaj walking in lawn two, they engaged him in conversation, and told him that they wished to rent his hotel for a wedding. While talking, Rana shot Bharadwaj from the front, while Sunil shot him from the back. To ensure that Bharadwaj is dead, Rana also shot him on the head. The moment, Amit heard the firing, started driving the car towards the main gate of the farmhouse, as he had been instructed. The group managed to flee to Dadri via Gurgaon, before they were nabbed by Delhi police.
THE PROBE
According to the source in Delhi police, 'officials hope that 80 per cent of the case would be solved, once Mahant is caught. So far we have not been able to establish any concrete relationship between Bharadwaj and Mahant. There is a possibility that there might have been a property dispute between the two, as both were involved in real estate business.'
Many names have cropped up in the list of suspects, including that of Ramesh Kumari, Bharadwaj's wife and his two sons, Nitesh and Hitesh. The names of two other women have also cropped up during investigations, who are said to have been engaged in illicit relationships with Bharadwaj, and their names are also included in the list of suspects. One of the two, a woman in her late twenties, is said to have been romantically involved with both Bharadwaj and his elder son Nitesh.
The other woman, works with a leading media house as a journalist. She had allegedly quit her job as a journalist to work with Bharadwaj, but rejoined the media house after a month.
'On Thursday, Nitesh was called for interrogation. After a five-hour long interrogation, he was released, but a clean chit has not been given to him yet,' the official added. Swami Anand, Bharadwaj's spirtual guru, also got entangled in the case, after the shooters had mentioned the involvement of a 'Swami' in the case. He joined investigations on Thursday. On Thursday evening, a team that had gone to carry out raids in Haryana's Bahadurgarh, where Mahant Pratibhanand was said to be residing, detained one spiritual leader.
'Mahant and the detained swami had been residents of the same ashram for about two years. He is expected to help us find Mahant's whereabouts,' the official said.
Chandra Prakash Kaushik, national president of Hindu Mahasabha told Millennium Post, 'Mahant has stayed at the Hindu Mahasabha in the past and Rana and Sunil have both visited him here. However, I do not know the purpose of their visit.'