By Bunty Mahajan
Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Police, in a major breakthrough into the killing of a gangster Sushil Srivastava and his two aides in a 2015 broad daylight shootout in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh court premises, have arrested an ex-army para commando for allegedly carrying out the killings for money.
Identified as Avtar Singh he was with 4 Para then. He was discharged from the Army on his own request in 2016, a police officer said. He was arrested from Sainik Colony in Jammu where he was living in a rented accommodation.
Initially he was apprehended by a police party from R S Pura Police Station for questioning into a recent incident of looting of a local shopkeeper by some people. However, he was found not involved into that looting incident, but he during questioning revealed his involvement into the killing of a gangster and his two aides in Hazaribagh court premises in 2015.
Confirming the arrest of an ex-Army para commando into the killing of gangster and his two aides, a senior police officer said that he had been paid by the rival gangster for it.
Police sources, however, said they were paid Rs 40 lakh by rival gangster Vikas Tiwari as he, after having failed in previous attempts on Sushil Srivastava did not want to take chances this time. Avtar was among two people reportedly hired for the task in view of their sharp shooting skills being army para commandos, sources said.
The accused has also revealed the name of his associate involved into the killings, saying that he was presently posted in Delhi.
Gangster Sushil Srivastav, who was already convicted in a murder case and lodged in Hazaribagh jail, was gunned down along with his two aides by unidentified gunmen within the Hazaribagh court premises where they had been brought for trial in another criminal case on June 2, 2015. Over a dozen policemen who were escorting the deceased gangster were suspended.
