Ninth accused arrested four years after Dahod BJP leader’s murder
The Gujarat ATS, along with the Madhya Pradesh ATS, arrested Mohammad Irfan alias Irfan Bisti, who had been absconding for three years, from Indore, where he was running a hair salon with his wife after assuming a new name.
Irfan Bisti, along with his accomplices and co-accused in the case, had allegedly traveled to Jhalod from Indore to carry out the murder conspiracy, said
officials. Nearly four years after Dahod BJP leader Hiren Patel was murdered, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) on Wednesday arrested the ninth accused in the killing, said officials.
The Gujarat ATS, along with the Madhya Pradesh ATS, arrested Mohammad Irfan alias Irfan Bisti, who had been absconding for three years, from Indore, where he was running a hair salon with his wife after assuming a new name.
Irfan Bisti, 24, a resident of Ujjain, was allegedly involved in a hit-and-run on September 27, 2020, which claimed the BJP leader’s life. In January 2021, Jhalod police charged six of the eight arrested accused for culpable homicide, amounting to murder and criminal conspiracy.
Police have referred to the “contract killing” as a crime executed due to “political rivalry” in their earlier reports.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Harsh Upadhyay said, “After the incident, they ( the accused) fled to Indore. When Irfan realised that his name was out and the police were searching for him, he fled to Khajrana, Indore, and had been hiding there with his wife, using his real name, Irfan Abbas. Irfan started a hair salon with his wife in Indore as a part of their disguise.” “The Gujarat ATS unit received the information about Irfan’s whereabouts, which was also shared with senior officials of Madhya Pradesh ATS. With the help of the Indore unit of Madhya Pradesh ATS, Gujarat ATS Inspector VN Vaghela, along with his team, arrested Irfan Bisti. Upon questioning, Irfan admitted his involvement in the murder of Hiren Patel,” added Upadhyay. Patel was a corporator at the Jhalod municipality.
“A contract amount of Rs. 25,000-plus was promised to Irfan as a deal for the contract killing of Hiren Patel, which he admitted to during the police interrogation,” added Upadhyay.
Irfan Bisti, along with his accomplices and co-accused in the case, had allegedly traveled to Jhalod from Indore to carry out the murder conspiracy, said officials.
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