Manesar played key role in Nasir-Junaid murder: Police

Sumedha Sharma

Gurugram, September 14

Arrested cow vigilante Monu Manesar played a key role behind the scenes in the February Nasir-Junaid murder and was in constant touch with over 20 accused named in the case through WhatsApp.

Nuh violence: 1 held for firing

Gurugram: The Gurugram police arrested a man for opening fire during the Nuh violence in Sohna, resulting in another man being injured. An FIR was registered on July 31 at the Sohna City police station at that time. “The accused has been identified as Mohammad Kaif of Lahbas village in Nuh district. He will be remanded in police custody after being produced in a city court on Friday,” said Subhash Boken, a police spokesperson. — TNS

This has emerged during Manesar’s interrogation over two days by Rajasthan’s Deeg police. A Kaman court in Bharatpur district of Rajasthan today remanded Manesar in 14-day judicial custody.

Investigation suggests the attack on Nasir (25) and Junaid (35) was pre-planned and the accused had shared the victims’ proposed travel plan and vehicle number in a WhatsApp group, of which Manesar was an active member.

The police recovered several WhatsApp chats indicating Manesar was not only aware of the attack, but had also guided the accused who had panicked and contacted him after things got out of hand and the two died.

Manesar was in constant touch with arrested accused Rinku Saini, who in his prior interrogation had claimed that following the killings, it was on a “star” cow vigilante’s assurance that he had chosen to sit at home — from where he was caught, say the police. Manesar’s role in immolation at Bhiwani is, however, being probed.

“The attack or confrontation with Nasir and Junaid was planned almost eight days in advance. Their travel plan along with the registration number of Bolero they were travelling in was shared in a WhatsApp group and the accused had planned big action. The accused couldn’t recover any bovine and in frustration assaulted them. Things got out of hand when the two were badly injured and the Haryana Police refused to take them into custody. Manesar was in touch with the accused even when they were on the run. He went into hiding and travelled internationally to evade arrest,” Deeg SP Brijesh Jyoti Upadhyay told The Tribune.

Citing sensitivity of the case, the SP withheld the names of the accused Manesar was in touch with. “The accused were seeking Manesar’s guidance at every step. He remained in hiding and felt reassured after a few fake media reports claimed he had got a clean chit in the case. A number of chats and calls have been deleted. We are collecting technical evidence. We have key leads regarding the absconding accused,” the SP said.

During his judicial custody, Manesar will be kept in a separate cell at the Sewar jail in Bharatpur. Manesar, booked by the Rajasthan Police for the killings and accused of inciting recent violence in Haryana’s Nuh, was nabbed by the Haryana Police on Tuesday. He was handed over to the Rajasthan Police after they obtained a transit remand from a Nuh court.