Bhardwaj murder: Role of 'spiritual guru' being probed

Delhi Police is investigating the role of a "spiritual guru" who is suspected to have hired shooters for Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore to kill local Bahujan Samaj Party leader Deepak Bhardwaj even as they are trying to unravel the "complex web of conspirators".

Purushottam Rana, who along with another alleged shooters Sunil Mann and Amit refused to undergo Test Identification Parade on Tuesday and were remanded in police custody for 10 days, in his disclosure statement has said that the main accused in this case is a "swamiji" and he is yet to be arrested, police told a court.

Police sources said the two arrested shooters, who allegedly murdered Bhardwaj in his south Delhi farmhouse on March 26, have told them that a "spiritual guru" gave them the contract to kill the BSP leader for an amount that is believed to be between Rs 50 lakh and Rs one crore.

Rana and Mann were arrested yesterday for their alleged involvement in the killing of Bhardwaj. Amit, who allegedly drove the car in which the shooters fled, and the owner of the vehicle were also arrested.

Though the motive is yet to be clear as the main conspirators are not arrested, police suspect that property or money could be the reason behind the murder of Bhardwaj, the richest candidate in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections.

The sources claimed that the alleged shooters during interrogation had given contradictory details about those who gave them the contract to kill Bhardwaj.

They had allegedly taken the name of a pilot as the one who gave them the money to kill Bhardwaj. However, police believe that the pilot has no role.

Investigators have not given clean chit to anyone in the case and had even questioned his family -- wife and his two sons -- who was living separately due to differences with Bhardwaj, a real estate tycoon who owned educational institutions.

Police sources said they are yet to establish the chain of conspirators.

"We believe that it is not one person who is involved in the conspiracy. The contract for the murder might have been passed over by more than two persons. We have to verify several things," a senior police official said.

Police said they are yet to nab the main conspirator and recover weapons used in the crime.

Police also told the court that they need to take the accused to Haridwar, Mathura and Jhajjar in Haryana to establish the chain of events which lead to the crime.

Investigators also told the court said that Rana had disclosed that the weapons used in the crime were procured by them from one Raju and the pistols were thrown in a canal.

Rana has said that he can get the pistols recovered from the canal, the police said, adding that Mann had procured the weapons while Amit played an active role in the entire conspiracy which led to the crime.