Haryana INLD Chief's Murder: Two Shooters Arrested From Goa, Search Underway For Others

Two suspected shooters have been arrested from Goa in the Haryana Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) chief Nafe Singh Rathee murder case, police said.

According to news agency ANI, two shooters, Saurav and Ashish, have been nabbed from Goa in a joint operation by Jhajjar Police, Delhi Police Special Cell, and Haryana Special Task Force (STF). Jhajjar Police said a search was underway to nab two other shooters.

Haryana Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) chief Nafe Singh Rathee and a party worker were killed after unidentified assailants fired several rounds of bullets at their SUV in Bahadurgarh near Delhi last month, a senior party leader said. Three private gunmen hired by Rathee for security also suffered injuries in the attack.

A surveillance camera footage had emerged during the police probe which showed the killer’s movement in a Hyundai i10 just before they sprayed the SUV of the Haryana politician with bullets in Haryana’s Jhajjar district.

According to sources, Rathee’s car allegedly stopped at a railway crossing on Sunday when the killers’ car stopped near the vehicle. This was followed by a spray of bullets on the INLD chief’s car.

Police are now looking for the Hyundai i10 car the killers are suspected to have used. Rathee was sitting in the front and his nephew was driving. INLD leader Jaikishan Dalal and a gunner deployed for the INLD leader’s security were sitting at the rear end.

Sources said about 20 rounds were fired, most of them at the prime target. Visuals of Rathee’s car show the bullet marks on Rathee’s car.

A case of murder was registered against seven people, including BJP leader and former legislator Naresh Kaushik and several family members of Bahadurgarh municipal corporation chairperson Saroj Rathi.

Rathee’s name was in the news last year in an abetment to suicide case. Former Haryana minister Mange Ram Numberdar’s son, Jagdish, died by suicide and a case was registered against Rathee under charges of abetment. Allegations of harassment and land-grabbing were also levelled against Rathee and his nephew. The High Court granted the INLD leader anticipatory bail on January 24 last year.