Journalism of Courage
Two persons have been arrested for trying to steal LCD screens and other valuable items from The Connaught hotel in central Delhi, which was sealed by the New Delhi Municipal Council after its owner, Ramesh Kakkar, was arrested in connection with the murder of NDMC estate officer M M Khan last year.
Police said the arrested persons have been identified as Balaji and Jitendra Yadav. “The incident came to light last Saturday when senior NDMC official Alok Bhatnagar approached police and said two persons were caught trying to steal valuables from the hotel,” said a police source.
In his complaint, Bhatnagar told police that the hotel has been in the NDMC’s possession since it was sealed. He added that the council has deployed security personnel on the hotel premises. “The guards caught the two men when they were trying to escape. While they managed to catch Balaji, Yadav climbed the hotel wall and jumped onto the road, injuring his left knee,” said an officer. The accused were produced before a Delhi court which sent them to 14 days’ judicial custody in Tihar Jail.
The lease for the land — on which the hotel is situated — was given for a youth hostel. In 2003, the NDMC shut down the premises after it found that the land was being used to run a hotel. However, the hotel continued to operate “illegally”, attracting a fine of over Rs 140 crore.
“The High Court had asked the NDMC to pass an order on the hotel’s eviction at the earliest. As the NDMC estate officer, Khan was the competent authority to pass the order, so Kakkar decided to hire hit men to eliminate him. Khan was shot a day before he was scheduled to pass the final order on the lease terms,” a senior officer said.
