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Delhi Police arrests Ponty aide Namdhari
Tribune News Service

New Delhi/Dehradun, Nov 23
Sukhdev Singh Namdhari, former chairman of the Uttarakhand Minorities Commission and a prime witness in the murder case of Ponty Chadha and his brother Hardeep Chadha in New Delhi last week, was detained by the Delhi Police from his residence at Bajpur in Udham Singh Nagar district today.

Namdhari, who had been untraceable for the past six days, surfaced at his residence at Bajpur.

Talking to mediapersons, he said he had himself called up the Delhi Police and had been constantly helping the Delhi police in its investigation.

He alleged his detractors were trying to defame him. He clarified he was the one who had informed the police and had got the FIR lodged about the incident. Namdhari said that he had no business connections with the liquor baron Ponty Chadha.

The sacked chairman of the Uttarakhand Minorities Commission was arrested on the charge of criminal trespassing (Section 452) and dacoity (Section 391) after being interrogated by a special team of Delhi Police in Uttarakhand.

“On specific information, we had sent a team to Uttarakhand to ascertain the role of Namdhari in this shootout. We have arrested him on the charge of criminal trespassing and dacoity. He was brought to Delhi today,” said Chhaya Sharma, Deputy Commissioner of Police, south district. Namdhari had been present at the spot on the day of the incident.

Police sources also clarified that the body of Hardeep Chadha was found in the guard room on the basis of which the first FIR was lodged under Section 302 (murder), 327 (voluntarily causing hurt to extort property) and the Arms Act. The police officials did not elaborate further.