Lalit Mehtas murderer killed by Naxals: police

The Ranchi police recovered a body from near Chatarpur block on Monday morning and claimed to have solved the murder case of social activist Lalit Mehta...

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The Ranchi police recovered a body from near Chatarpur block on Monday morning and claimed to have solved the murder case of social activist Lalit Mehta. Now there is nothing to enquire into the Lalit Mehta case, said Palamau SP Udayan Singh.

The body was identified as that of Raju Singh,a prime accused in the murder of Mehta,a close aide of economist Jean Dreze,whose body was found in a field along the highway in Bishrampur police station area,10 km from Chatarpur,on May 15 last year.

A pamphlet recovered by the police from near the body stated that the CPI(Maoist) cadres had shot him dead on Sunday night because he was wanted in two dozen cases of highway robberies.

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Even Lalit Mehta was killed by him, read the hand-written pamphlet.

Mehta was on his way back to Chatarpur on his motor bike on May 14 evening when he was attacked and killed. Apart from Dreze,a number of NGOs and social activists had suspected that Mehta was murdered by people who siphoned off NREGS funds.

The police team investigating the case,arrested one 19-year-old Behari Singh and recovered Mehtas motor bike from near Chatarpur block. During interrogation,Behari confessed his involvement in the murder of Lalit Mehta and told the police that his accomplice Raju Singh had killed him.

On Monday,the police recovered a body from near Chatarpur block and we have no doubt that it is Rajus, Udayan Singh asserted.

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Now,the police are investigating the link between late Mehta,Dreze and Maoists.