Bharuch/Ahmedabad

A local court in Bharuch today allowed eight days remand of the four accused of the sensational double murder of two BJP leaders in the city who were allegedly shot dead as part of a terror conspiracy hatched by the ‘on-the-run’ accused of 1993 Mumbai blasts and close aide of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, Javed Chikna.

The local crime branch (LCB) had sought 14 days remand of the four accused (two nabbed from Bharuch, one from Nadiyad and one from Mount Abu in neighbouring Rajasthan) for further interrogation. The court however allowed eight days remand. The LCB counsel said that the remand of the accused was needed for further interrogation and investigation as the case was of a serious nature involving terror angle.

Meanwhile three other accused of the case nabbed by the Anti Terrorist Squad of the Gujarat Police (ATS) from Roorkee in Uttrakhand were brought to Ahmedabad this evening. They will also be handed over to the Bharuch police and will be produced in a local court there late tonight or tomorrow. The three nabbed from Roorkee were all residents of Surat. They had gone to Roorkee via Ajmer after the crime.

The ATS has claimed that the murder of the former Bharuch district BJP president Shirsh Bangali (60) and BJYM district general secretary Pragnesh Mistry (34) was part of a conspiracy of Javed Chikna to eliminate Hindu leaders to avenge the alleged accesses on minority community. Javed, who is believed to be in South Africa, had paid a contract money of Rs 50 lakh for the killing plot. The duo was shot dead by motorcycle borne assailants in the evening of November 2 while they were sitting in the printing press premises of Mr. Bangali, also a prominent member of the RSS and former VHP man, in Shevashram road of the city.

The ATS, which was also roped in to assist the local police in the investigation, during its revelation yesterday claimed that the killers intended to kill Mr. Bangali only but they shot at Mr. Mistry as he was sitting close-by.

The ATS was also trying to nab one more accused in the case. It has also claimed to have recovered the weapon of crime and the vehicle used for the purpose.

– DeshGujarat