Weapons used to kill Sonu Shah recovered

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 4 

The UT police have recovered two pistols, including one made in the USA, with which Rajbir Singh, alias Sonu Shah, was shot dead at his office in Burail. The police have recovered five cartridges and the Swift Dzire car that was used by the assailants to flee after committing the crime. 

The police have now arrested gangster Lawrence Bishnoi in the Sonu Shah murder case after his role as the main conspirator was established. 

 The interrogation of Shubham Prajapat, alias Bigni, a native of Haryana, led to the recovery of a country-made pistol a country-made cartridge, one USA-made pistol and four cartridges, besides the Swift Dzire car which was parked in Sector 48. 

 Shubham was arrested by the Punjab Police on October 23 after which the UT police brought him on a production warrant on October 28. 

 During the investigation, Shubham confessed to his involvement in the murder, which was carried out on the directions of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and Raju Basoudiya.

Shubham came in contact with Bishnoi in 2016 at Patiala jail and joined the Bishnoi gang. 

 The police said Shubham was wanted by the Haryana Police and Rajasthan Police in two murder cases and various other cases of robbery, theft and snatching. 

 He was on police remand till today after which he was produced in a court and sent to judicial custody. 

 During interrogation, Bishnoi revealed that the Facebook post claiming responsibility for Sonu Shah’s murder was posted by one of his henchmen. “Bishnoi has confessed that he conspired in Sonu Shah’s murder following which Bishnoi, who was till now a suspect, was arrested in the murder case,” said a police official. 

 Sonu Shah was gunned down by four assailants inside his office at Burail village, Sector 45, on September 28. The assailants had pumped 10 bullets into Shah’s body. His two colleagues, who were present at his office, had also suffered bullet injuries.

Sources said the assailants had arrived in the city at least four days before the murder after which they carried out a recce before finally executing the plan. Later, after committing the crime, they fled towards Ambala. 

Staffer provided cell phone to Bishnoi in jail  

Lawrence Bishnoi’s interrogation has revealed that a jail staff member at Bharatpur Central Jail, Rajasthan, was instrumental in providing him a mobile phone through which he used to communicate with his henchmen. Sources said there was a group of inmates who had access to mobile phones and other banned items, which were provided to them by the jail staff. 

Gangster quizzed on extortion call 

Bishnoi was also grilled by the police regarding an extortion call received by Divye Malik (33), who runs ‘Boulevard’, a club in Sector 26, on WhatsApp. The caller, claiming to be Bishnoi, had threatened Malik with dire consequences and demanded protection money from him.