DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

The Punjab Police on Monday said it has arrested a suspect who was wanted in the murder case of VHP leader Vikas Bagga.

Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said the accused, who has been identified as Mukul Mishra allegedly facilitated the bank transactions to procure weapons for Bagga's murder.

The development came four months after the police arrested two assailants -- Mandeep Kumar alias Mangi and Surinder Kumar alias Rikka -- in the case after recovering two .32 bore pistols and a scooter used in the crime.

Bagga, who was the president of the Nangal unit of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), was shot dead by two unidentified scooter-borne men at his shop in Nangal town of Rupnagar district on April 13.

The case is being investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). DGP Yadav said upon following intelligence inputs and the financial trail of the arrested accused, the counter intelligence wing of Ludhiana Police and the Ludhiana Commissionerate police launched a joint operation spread across Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.

This led to the arrest of the accused Mishra, a resident of Gonda district in Uttar Pradesh, said the DGP. He said preliminary investigation revealed that Mishra allegedly facilitated the payment via his bank account to procure weapons used in Bagga's murder.

The police have also identified two more Uttar Pradesh-based suspects, including the person who procured weapons, in connection with the case, the officer said. Mishra was also wanted in another case lodged in Ludhiana, he added.
(editor@dailyworld.in)