Twin murders: Gujarat govt recommends NIA probe

Gandhinagar, Nov 19: Gujarat government has decided to go for probe by National Investigation Agency (NIA) in the murder case of two BJP leaders in Bharuch as the key conspirators are suspected to be out of India and having links with terror modules.

The proposal to hand over the probe to NIA has been signed by the Chief Minister Anandiben Patel, State Director General of Police (DGP) P C Thakur told reporters in a press conference here today. "In the proposal, sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs, we have requested the Centre to hand over the probe to NIA.

As per the NIA Act, investigations are handed over to the national agency whenever the local police finds international linkages of local terror modules and perpetrators need to be brought to India," said Thakur.

The two BJP leaders - former party president of Bharuch district and senior RSS member Shirish Bangali and general secretary of Bharatiya Janta Yuva Morcha of Bharuch district Pragnesh Mistry - were shot dead by two unidentified gunmen in Bharuch on November 2.

After taking over the probe and arresting nine persons from different parts of Gujarat, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand, Gujarat Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) claimed that the contract for killing the BJP leaders was allegedly given by absconding 1993 Mumbai serial blasts accused Javed Dawood Patel, also known as Javed Chikna, apparently to avenge riots in Mumbai during 1993 and in Gujarat during 2002.

The contract killing assignment was allegedly given by Chikna to one of the arrested accused Imran Kadri, who then took help of eight others to carry out the murders.

Chikna allegedly gave Rs 50 lakhs to Kadri to carry out the murders, said officials. Apart from Javed, ATS also learned about the active role played by his brother Aabid Patel, who became a British citizen few years back, said Superintendent of Police with ATS Himanshu Shukla.

"Both Javed and Aabid originally belong to Kantharia village of Bharuch. While Javed has already fled from the country after 1993 Mumbai blasts, Aabid was in India till 2013.

He then went to England and settled there. To carry out the killings, he visited Bharuch before the murders and then vanished again," said Shukla.

PTI