Rajasthan Police said on Tuesday that they have recovered a Mahindra Scorpio vehicle that they believe was used in the killing of two men whose charred bodies were found inside a burnt vehicle in Haryana’s Bhiwani district on February 16.
Senior police officials said Rajasthan Police found multiple CCTV images that show two vehicles – the vehicle that was set on fire, and the Scorpio found on Tuesday – traveling from Rajasthan’s Bharatpur district to Bhiwani on February 15.
“The police have seized the vehicle used by the accused and have sent it for forensic examinations. The vehicle was from Haryana,” said a senior Rajasthan Police officer, requesting anonymity.
Relatives of the two victims – 35-year-old Mohammed Junaid and 27-year-old Mohammed Nasir – alleged they were assaulted and abducted by members with links to right-wing groups near Piruka forests in Rajasthan on February 15. Their bodies were recovered the next day, roughly 165 km away. The Bajrang Dal has denied the allegations, as has Mohit Yadav or Monu Manesar, the prime accused in the case who is yet to be arrested. Rajasthan Police have arrested one person, identified as 32-year-old Rinku Saini, a member of Bajrang Dal.
The officer quoted above added that police have identified a total of eight people that may have been involved in the case, including the five named in the FIR.
“We have identified eight people on the basis of information gathered after interrogating Rinku Saini, statements recorded, and other technical evidence. We are now aware of the route that was traversed, and the modus operandi. The focus is now to arrest the eight accused,” the officer added.
Haryana, meanwhile, set up a special investigation team led by assistant superintendent of police Usha Kundu to probe allegations that personnel of the state crime investigation unit at Ferozepur Jhirka turned away the accused, who allegedly arrived at the police station with the two victims, then reportedly wounded, on February 15.
Ismail, Junaid’s cousin, alleged that the accused attempted to get a case registered against the two victims for cow smuggling, but were turned away because of the state of their injuries.
“If police had taken them into their custody or had taken them to hospital, they would have survived. But they asked the vigilantes to take the two men away, after which they died and were set on fire to evade arrest,” Ismail said.
Kundu said she will visit Bharatpur on Thursday to record Saini’s statement, but added that no role of Haryana Police’s crime investigation unit had come to the fore thus far.
“I have questioned over 30 policemen and locals to know the exact sequence of details on February 15. The Rajasthan Police have recovered footage from four CCTVs from banks in the vicinity and have identified a Bolero and a Scorpio but the role of our team is not yet clear,” she said.
A senior police officer from Bhiwani said that a Bolero and Scorpio were seen making the rounds for almost two hours after midnight on February 16 but it remained unclear how the Bolero was set on fire.
Varun Singla, superintendent of police, Nuh, said that they were conducting an investigation and had recorded the statements of policemen deployed in the crime investigation unit.
“We are verifying the facts. Cow vigilantes have visited the crime investigation unit on several occasions but it is yet to be established if they came on February 15 with Junaid and Nasir. We are also getting a general diary (GD) record checked to see if an entry was made. If any negligence is found on part of our teams, strict action will be taken against them,” he said.
Kundu said that the police have thus far not found any videos of the alleged assault on Junaid and Nasir, but appealed to the public to share any such information with the police.