Surat: Udhna police have arrested three accused from Jalgaon in Maharashtra in connection with the murder of BJP Yuva Morcha office-bearer Jay Dalal, four days after the sensational killing.

Police identified the arrested accused as Milind Koli, Shubham Patil and Rohit Gautam Sonwane. The arrests were made after an intensive operation involving seven police teams, technical surveillance and human intelligence inputs. Officials said two other accused, Kishan Parmar and Pankaj Patil, remain absconding and a search operation is underway.

According to investigators, the murder stemmed from an old rivalry. Police said Jay Dalal had a dispute with Kishan Parmar, Pankaj Patil and Milind Koli around three months ago, following which legal action had been taken against the accused. Investigators believe the accused harboured resentment and allegedly planned the attack.

On May 18 at around 12.30 pm, Jay was standing with friends near a scrap shop on Udhna Road No. 6 when the accused allegedly attacked him with sharp weapons, inflicting serious injuries to his stomach, ear, cheek and thigh. He later died during treatment at a hospital.

Police said the accused fled Surat immediately after the murder and travelled by road to Jalgaon while attempting to evade CCTV surveillance. Investigators claimed they used a planned escape route, transporting their two-wheeler in trucks and other heavy vehicles along highways to avoid detection.

Police records show that prime accused Kishan Parmar has a long criminal history, with around 18 serious cases, including assault and intimidation, registered against him. He had also faced action under PASA and had recently returned to Surat after completing his detention period. Milind Koli also has four criminal cases registered against him, including attempted murder and assault-related offences.

Further investigation is underway. DeshGujarat