NIA arrests key suspect in murder of Karni Sena chief

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday arrested a key suspect during extensive raids at 31 places across Haryana and Rajasthan in the case related to the murder of Shri Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena chief Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi.

With the fresh arrest, the total tally of arrested so far in the case reached nine in the sensational murder case in which Gogamedi, alongwith one other person, was killed and two persons were injured while one succumbed to injuries later in the chilling daylight shootout that took place at the former’s Shyam Nagar residence in Jaipur (Rajasthan) on December 5 this year, said the NIA.

The case, originally registered by the Rajasthan Police, was taken over by the NIA on December 11.

The arrest followed the raids at 31 locations, including the houses of the accused persons and several suspects, in Rajasthan and the neighbouring state of Haryana. The NIA teams seized a large number of pistols, ammunition, and digital devices, including mobile phones, SIM cards and DVRs, as well as incriminating documents related to financial transactions during these searches.

The key suspect, Ashok Kumar, was arrested from one of the locations following the recovery of several arms and ammunition from his premises in Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan. His questioning exposed his suspicious role in the case and also revealed his association with the notorious gangster Rohit Godara, an accused in the case, who had allegedly motivated the two shooters to murder Gogamedi.

Two armed assailants, identified as Rohit Rathore, a resident of Jhotwara, Jaipur, and Nitin Fauji of village Dogda Jaat Mahdendragarh, Haryana, had shot dead Gogamedi in the case that had triggered widespread protests and outrage in Rajasthan last month. One Naveen Shekhawat also died on the spot during the firing, and later Ajeet Singh one of the two injured succumbed to injuries. Both Rohit and Nitin were arrested on December 9 last year from Chandigarh.

Sustained interrogation of the arrested accused and suspects revealed the involvement of hardcore criminals and members of Organised Criminal Gangs, based out of Haryana and Rajasthan in the murder case.

“All the accused and suspects were found to have been associated with the accused persons before and after the murder of Gogamedi, as per the NIA investigations, which are still underway.”