Delhi Police took two weeks to crack the murder case of Bahujan Samaj Party leader Deepak Bhardwaj as the mastermind, his younger son, kept lying over crucial inputs during interrogation.
Nitesh, 36, who lives with his mother Ramesh Kumari at Dwarka Sector 11, was arrested on Tuesday after call data records of his several mobile phone numbers established link with lawyer Baljeet Singh Sehrawat and spiritual guru Pratibhanand.
“Sustained interrogation of Bhardwaj’s family members and arrested accused resulted in Nitesh confessing to his role in the conspiracy. When confronted with facts, he was unable to explain,” said Chhaya Sharma, deputy commissioner of police (south). Baljeet has also disclosed receipt of Rs 50 lakh from Nitesh as first installment from the contract of Rs 5 crore.
According to Sharma, Nitesh had broken his mobile phone after Bhardwaj was shot dead at his farmhouse in south west Delhi’s Rajokiri on March 26. “He, however, told us that the mobile phone broke after falling from his hand,” Sharma added.
It has also come to light that Nitesh was not cooperating with police in the probe. He kept lying during interrogation, and did not reveal that he used multiple mobile phones. “We managed to track a phone number which revealed incriminating details. It revealed that he was hiding information,” Sharma said.
When asked if Bhardwaj’s wife and elder son Hitesh were also involved, Sharma said they were investigating the matter.
It has also come to light that investigators initially failed to nab the contract killers despite posessiong the real registration number of the vehicle used in the crime.
“Police were waiting to establish the sequence of events and the entire plot before making arrests,” a source said.
Bhardwaj, who was gunned down on March 26, was a BSP candidate from the west Delhi constituency for the 15th Lok Sabha elections in May 2009. He was reportedly the richest candidate for the elections.
The 62-year-old stayed alone at Nitesh Kunj farmhouse, while his wife Ramesh Kumari lived with Nitesh. Bhardwaj’s elder son, Hitesh, stays in Vasant Vihar.