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Police in Ferozepur Wednesday arrested two men for the murder of RSS volunteer Naveen Arora on November 15, even as the main accused and the weapon used in the crime are yet to be traced.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Bhupinder Singh Sidhu, Wednesday, told the media, “The two arrested suspects — Kannav and Harsh, both residents of Basti Bhattian in Ferozepur — were part of a group that planned the murder during a gathering at Kannav’s house on November 13.” During the gathering, organised to celebrate Kannav’s birthday, Kali, Badal, Harsh, Kannav and the fifth accomplice finalised the plan, the SSP said.
Police said the shooter was identified as Badal from CCTV footage, after which his family members picked up for questioning on Sunday.
The SSP, however, has declined to disclose his accomplice’s identity.
On November 15, the group was allegedly divided into two teams — one comprising Harsh and Kannav, and the other team comprising Badal and his associate.
Both the teams conducted recce of Arora’s daily routine from November 13 onwards.
The SSP named Jatin Kali as the “main conspirator”, adding that he had offered Rs 1 lakh to Badal and his accomplice to kill Arora. “Kali wanted Arora to be killed, but the motive is still unclear.”
Kali is from Ferozepur’s Badh Jaimal Singh village.
As per the information, the weapon used in the murder was procured from Uttar Pradesh but police are yet to recover it.
Naveen’s murder has rattled the region’s trader community. Sarabjeet Singh Bath, BJP Ferozepur district president, told The Indian Express, “Those involved (the accused) come from poor families with no criminal history. Even Kali has no previous police case. We fail to understand the motive or who instigated them. It shows the lawlessness in the state.”
“We will wait for a day to see the police’s response,” Bath said.
On Wednesday, RSS volunteers and BJP leaders submitted memorandums to deputy commissioners across all Punjab’s 22 districts, demanding immediate arrest of all the accused.
Police are examining a claim by a lesser known Sher-E-Punjab Brigade, a terror-linked outfit which has asserted responsibility for the murder. However, investigators also believe the claim may have been made to mislead the probe.
Efforts are underway to trace Kali, Badal and his accomplice, and recover the weapon, police said.
Naveen Arora, son of senior RSS leader Baldev Raj Arora, ran a dupatta shop in the main bazaar.
According to police, two motorcycle-borne assailants opened fire at him near the Baba Noor Shah Wali dargah, when he was walking home. One of the bullets struck him in the head, and he was rushed to a private hospital, where doctors declared him dead, police said.
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