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Bihar police arrest 5 in journalist murder case

Last Updated 25 May 2016, 09:14 IST
Bihar police today claimed to have cracked journalist Rajdeo Ranjan's murder case by arresting five persons in Siwan district.

"The police arrested five persons in connection with the murder of journalist Rajdeo Ranjan and recovered a 7.65 bore country-made pistol and three motorcycles," Additional Director General of Police (ADG Headquarters) Sunil Kumar told reporters here.

The arrested were identified as Rohit Kumar, Vijay Kumar Gupta, Rajesh Kumar, Ishu Kumar and Sonu Kumar Gupta, the ADG said.

He said Rohit Kumar has admitted that he fired on the scribe resulting in his death.
Search is on for some more persons involved in the crime, he added.

The police have also seized a 7.65 bore country-made pistol and three motorcycles used in the crime, he added.

Rajdeo Ranjan, district bureau head of a leading vernacular newspaper, was shot dead by unidentified men when he was going on his motorcycle near fruit market on station road under town police station area of Siwan on May 13 evening.

The killing had drawn country-wide criticism for Nitish Kumar government as a reflection of the slide in law and order situation in the state.

However, ADG (Headquarters) Sunil Kumar said that investigation is on the right track and is not over yet.

During the interrogation, Rohit Kumar, the main accused in the journalist murder case, said that he opened fire in the direction of the persons who are still at large but did not tell anything about his motive and conspiracy behind the crime, the ADG said.

The motive and conspiracy behind the murder would become clear once the other absconding persons are arrested, he said. Kumar said all the five arrested persons are new faces as they do not have any criminal record.

Citing the Gaya road rage incident, he said no one would be spared however powerful or well connected he/she may be. "We will take appropriate action against any person if any link or evidence surfaces during the investigation," he said.

Police are also taking every step to nab Laddan Mian, who is said to be one of the close henchmen of jailed ex RJD MP Mohammad Shahabuddin, in connection with the journalist's murder, Kumar said. He said that Mian had a criminal antecedent.

On CBI inquiry, the ADG said "CBI has sought an FIR from Bihar police for preliminary enquiry. But we (Bihar police) will not wait for CBI to take over the journalist murder case."

"Bihar police will take the investigation and the case to the extent possible....We have not abdicated our responsibility and we are continuing with our investigation," he said.

Bihar government had on May 16 formally recommended for a CBI investigation into the killing of journalist Rajdeo Ranjan.
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(Published 25 May 2016, 07:18 IST)

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