Dehradun murder: Shooters promised Rs 12 lakh to kill Colonel's son

Shooters in the murder of Colonel's son Arjun Sharma in Dehradun were promised Rs 12 lakh for the killing. Police arrested the two accused brothers, Pankaj and Rajveer Rana, in separate encounters after they opened fire on the police party.

The shooters involved in the broad daylight murder of Arjun Sharma, son of a fallen Colonel, were promised Rs 12 lakh to execute the killing and had received an advance of Rs 2-3 lakh, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Dehradun Ajay Singh said on Thursday. The revelation came after police arrested the two accused in separate encounters across the district.

Police Encounters Lead to Arrests

Speaking exclusively to ANI, the SSP said the accused had been planning the murder for nearly 15-20 days before carrying it out. "Different teams were deployed, and based on the information received, unknown vehicles coming from outside were traced by the police. We had intelligence that the accused was going to the Doiwala Area to visit his relative. A trap was laid, and during the operation, the accused sustained a bullet injury to his leg. He was referred to the District Hospital for medical treatment," he said.

"When an attempt was made to catch one of the accused, he fired on the police party, due to which he got injured and is currently undergoing treatment in the hospital. Based on the information of the second accused, when he was stopped, he also fired at the police party. He is also injured and undergoing treatment," Singh said.

Accused Identified as Brothers

The SSP identified the arrested accused as real brothers Pankaj Rana and Rajveer, the latter having previously been jailed in 1997 in a murder case registered at Clementown police station.

Details of the Crime and Investigation

Arjun Sharma, 42, was allegedly shot dead by two scooter-borne assailants near the Tibetan Market on Wednesday morning. Following the incident, police launched an intensive operation, including barricades and strict checks across Dehradun's urban and rural areas.

The SSP said four people have been named in the FIR, including a driver associated with one of the accused. "Four people are included in the FIR; one of the accused is also a driver. Many of the things he told us are now being verified. The things which were told in this are not very concrete, but the things which were told that Rs 12 lakh was agreed upon and he received Rs 3 lakh," he said.

Both accused have also been booked for firing at the police during the encounters. "This is a murder case; it's sensitive. All evidence must be collected, so we're cross-verifying and investigating whatever information we've received," the SSP added.

Further investigation is underway.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)