Bhardwaj murder case cracked; son arrested

New Delhi (PTI): Two weeks after the killing of local BSP leader Deepak Bhardwaj, the Delhi Police on Tuesday arrested his younger son who allegedly gave a Rs 5-crore contract to a lawyer who in turn had entrusted the job to a self-styled godman.

While the son, Nitesh, wanted to allegedly avenge the insult heaped on him by his father by not allowing him to enter the farmhouse and not intending to give a proper share of property, the lawyer wanted wholesome funding for contesting election though he changed his mind later for Rs 5 crore.

The lawyer Baljeet Singh Shehrawat (51) was also arrested along with Nitesh, the 36-year-old younger son of real estate tycoon Bhardwaj, while the godman Swami Pratibhanand is on the run. Four others -- two alleged shooters Purushottam Rana and Sunil Mann -- have already been arrested.

The police have recovered the two country-made pistols used in the murder, Rs 30 lakh and three cars -- a Swift, a Skoda and a Santro.A Nitesh was peeved at his father, the richest candidate in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections with declared assets of over Rs 600 crore, who lived separately after problems arose in the family some years ago. Nitesh was not allowed access to the farmhouse where Bhardwaj was living, police said.

Bhardwaj was shot dead in the farmhouse, which is named after Nitesh, in south Delhi's Rajokri on March 26 allegedly by Rana and Mann. The duo escaped in a car owned by one Rakesh and driven by Amit, who were arrested.

"Nitesh told us that he was disturbed at the attitude of his father towards him and the family. He was not even allowed access to the farmhouse where Bhardwaj was later killed. Five- six months ago, he decided to get rid of his father," Chhaya Sharma, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South), told reporters. He roped in Shehrawat, who is "more a property dealer than an advocate", she said.

Pratibhanand, who was in need of money to set up an ashram of his own after being thrown out from many such places, then allegedly approached his driver Rana, who got in touch with Mann and others to execute the murder.A Nitesh paid Rs 50 lakh as advance to the lawyer who in turn paid Rs 3-4 lakh to Pratibhanand. The godman gave Rs two lakh to Rana for initial expenses, the accused told investigators, Sharma said. "The shooters were to get Rs one crore, the godman was to keep Rs two crore and the lawyer the remaining Rs two crore," she said.

Asked how they came to know about Nitesh's involvement, Sharma said they found that the younger son had lied to them on some crucial inputs. The police have stepped up searches to locate Pratibhanand and raids were conducted across India.