29 years after labourer’s murder two land in Haryana Police net
CIA-1 unit of the police under inspector Deepak Kumar nabbed Jagat Rai, 58, and Bali Rai, 47, then a minor from Champaran in Bihar after about 29 years
Panipat police arrested two brothers for allegedly killing a fellow-labourer over a dispute involving ₹1,500 around Indian Oil Refinery in 1995 in Panipat.
CIA-1 unit of the police under inspector Deepak Kumar nabbed Jagat Rai, 58, and Bali Rai, 47, then a minor from Champaran in Bihar after about 29 years.
They were declared Proclaimed Offenders (POs) in 1996 and 1997, respectively.
Additional superintendent of police (ASP) Mayank Mishra said that during initial interrogation, both the accused had revealed that the deceased Shambhu Yadav was the brother-in-law of their elder brother.
“It was Yadav, who had brought them from their village to the refinery for work. When they asked Shambhu for ₹1,500 for the work they did, he refused, which led to an argument. On July 26, while Yadav was sleeping, they murdered him by slitting his throat with a knife and fled from the spot. Based on a complaint, a murder case was registered against unknown accused at Matlauda police station,” ASP Mishra added.
Mukhtyar, clerk of the company in which the accused and victim were working, was the complainant. In his complaint to the police he had said that the workers used to live in makeshift slums near the
office. At around 4 am on July 26, a worker Ram Sevak informed him about the murder.
Younger brother was the eye-witness
The younger brother of the deceased, Nagina, who also lived with his brother in the slum had recorded his statements before a court.
In September 1996, Nagina had told the court that he had seen Jagatrai and Bali Rai killing his brother Shambhu, after which the police carried out raids at various locations to arrest them but they remained untraced.
The concerned court had declared the accused Jagatrai as PO in 1996 and Bali Rai in 1997.
Unit in-charge Deepak said, “Nagina’s statement was a crucial evidence for the police. It was also found that both of them had gone missing since the murder that also raised suspicion.”
Accused used to secretly visit village
It was a challenge to catch the accused without their photograph, ASP Mishra said.
In December, a police team spent a week in Champaran to collect information and found that both the accused sometimes used to visit the village at night.
“The team was sent to Bihar again last week and arrested Jagatrai, when he came to the village. After this, his younger brother Bali Rai was also arrested. During interrogation, both the accused confessed to the murder,” the ASP added.
Inspector Deepak said that during interrogation, it was revealed that after the incident, both the accused had spent the first eight years together by hiding in an ashram in Mathura and both of them never went to their homes during this period.
On being asked how he came across such an old case, the cop said, “In September, I was given a target by SP Ajit Singh Shekhawat to find the oldest cases and I came across this case. For the last six months, out teams have stayed five times in Bihar to trace them and they were finally arrested. They are currently under a day of police remand.”
