Deepak Bhardwaj (file picture)
The Delhi Police has recovered two country-made pistols that were allegedly used to murder BSP leader and real estate tycoon Deepak Bhardwaj at his farmhouse last month. The guns were found in a canal in Rohtak, Haryana last evening.
Meanwhile, the cops continue to search for a self-styled godman or "swami", identified as Pratima Nand from Bahadurgarh in Haryana, who they have learnt, might have plotted Mr Bhardwaj's assassination. It was him who reportedly told the killers to dispose their weapons in Rohtak. The Delhi Police has released
photos of the godman and also conducted raids in Haryana, Uttarakhand, Bihar and Karnataka in his search.
The two men arrested in the case have allegedly told the cops that the godman offered them Rs. two crore to murder Mr Bhardwaj and had planned the murder about two to three months ago.
The police sources, however, said the motive is still unclear. The police are trying to ascertain if Pratima Nand had a dispute with Mr Bhardwaj over a land deal. They are also trying to ascertain whether he acted alone or in collusion with others. According to police sources, somebody close to Mr Bhardwaj seems to be the key conspirator and had offered Rs three to six crore for the hit.
Mr Bhardwaj's estranged wife and two sons and others in his family have been questioned in the case. The cops say Mr Bhardwaj might have been killed over property, or money, or both. They have said that the murder was ordered by a "complex web of conspirators."
The police are moving cautiously in the case as much of this information is yet to be independently confirmed by them and there are reportedly many discrepancies in the versions of the alleged killers.
Two of the three men arrested in the case so far were caught on camera leaving the tycoon's 26-acre farmhouse in south Delhi minutes after he was shot dead on the morning of March 26.
In the 2009 national elections, Mr Bhardwaj was the richest candidate with assets worth Rs. 600 crores. He lost the elections but shot to prominence due to the assets he declared on the affidavit.