Eight arrested in connection with murder of two brothers

Nagpur, May 28 (UNI) Police have arrested eight people in connection with the murder of two businessman brothers, who were shot dead in their office here earlier this month.

Speaking to reporters here today, Commissioner of Police (CP) S P Singh said while one person was arrested in the city, the remaining seven were nabbed from their hideouts at two places in Uttar Pradesh.

Those arrested are Pintu Sharma (36), a resident of Nagpur, Amit Hiralal Verma (24), a resident of Mahoba in UP, Shambhu Sitaram Raikwar (28), Yogendra Rajkumar Yadav (23), Manbabu Maurya alias Bachcha (23), Rakesh Kushwaha alias Pappu (28), Ankit Ramesh Shukla (24), all residents of Chitrakoot, and a person identified only as 'Pradhan,' a resident of Kanpur, he said.

The suspects had taken refuge at the residence of Omprakash Gupta alias Gajju, who is the brother-in-law of Pappu Sharma. The police are investigating his antecedents also, Mr Singh said.

The seven accused held in UP are expected to be brought to Nagpur within a day or two, he said.

Mr Singh said that the motive for the killing of the two brothers was robbery, and at present it did not appear to bee 'contract killing.' However, the police are exploring all angles, the CP said, adding that the three country-made revolvers suspected to have been used in the crime and three live cartridges have also been seized.

''The suspects are a gang of professional robbers, and we are investigating if they work under a mastermind,'' he said.

The businessmen brothers, Sushil Lakhotiya and Suresh Lakhotiya, were shot dead on May 8 by unidentified gunmen, who fired 8 rounds from country-made revolvers. A third brother, Sailesh Lakhotiya, who was on the spot at the time, however, escaped with bullet injuries.

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