2 held for conspiring murder of Udaipur tailor: Police

PTI

Udaipur, July 1

Two men were arrested for conspiring the murder of a tailor here and produced in a local court on Friday. Tailor Kanhaiya Lal was murdered on Tuesday by two cleaver-wielding men, who posted a grisly video of the crime online.

The court of the chief judicial magistrate, Udaipur, granted one-day transit remand of the duo. They will now be produced in an NIA court in Jaipur on Saturday by the ATS, an advocate said.

At the same time, the Udaipur district court gave direction to the Rajasthan Police to hand over the case diary to NIA. The case will be investigated by the NIA after formalities of the case transfer are completed.

Public Prosecutor Kapil Todawat said the ATS produced Mohsin and Asif, who were arrested on Thursday night, in the CJM court, which granted transit remand for producing them in a designated NIA court in Jaipur because the trial of the case will now run there.

"Since the formalities of handing over the case are underway, the ATS will produce both accused arrested last night before the designated NIA court on Saturday," he said.

Additional Director General (SOG and ATS) Ashok Rathore said the two men were arrested on Thursday night for criminal conspiracy and conducting a recce of the tailor's shop.

"The two are co-conspirators in the murder of Kanhaiya Lal and are being interrogated," an official had said in the morning.

Rathore said main accused Riaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammad have been shifted to a high-security prison in Ajmer. They hacked to death Kanhaiya Lal in his shop in Udaipur's Mal Das street on Tuesday over a controversial post and fled on a motorcycle.

They also shot a video of the crime and made another video confessing that they have "beheaded" the tailor for insulting Islam. They were caught in Bhim town of Rajsamand district hours after the incident.

Meanwhile, a statement of the ATS and SOG reiterated that both the main accused had links with Pakistan-based sources. "It was informed in a press conference on June 29 by the DGP that these accused have connections with the organisation, Dawat-e-Islami," the statement said.

Officials said the motorcycle used for escape by them had "2611" as its registration number, a possible reference to the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008. Serial terror attacks in Mumbai took place on November 26 and referred to as 26/11 in general. Akhtari had paid Rs 1,000 to obtain the number of his choice for the motorcycle which he had bought in March 2013, officials said.

Meanwhile, members of the Jain community demanded more security for a resident of an Udaipur locality mentioned in the video clip posted by the alleged killers of Kanhaiya Lal. 

They met the district collector and handed over a memorandum pressing for enhanced security for tyre trader Nitin Jain and his family, who live in Sector 11.

Riaz Akhtari had mentioned in a video that some people living in Sector 11 should also be beheaded. The Udaipur police has already deputed two policemen outside the house of Nitin Jain and members of the community have demanded more security to ensure that another incident like Kanhaiya Lal murder does not happen.

On the other hand, the annual Jagannath Rath Yatra was held in Udaipur on Friday amid heavy security arrangements. Special permission was granted by the district administration to take out the procession as a curfew was clamped in seven police station areas on Tuesday night following Kanhaiya Lal's murder.

Thousands of people attended the procession, which began from Jagdish Chowk and expected to end late at night.

Around 3,000 policemen have been deployed in the city to maintain law and order.

"We hope that the yatra goes well. Senior officials have been deployed on key points. Volunteers of the organisers are also working in close coordination of the police," ADG Dinesh MN, who is camping in Udaipur, said.

At the same time, markets in Churu and Barmer districts were kept closed in protest against Kanhaiya Lal's murder. Traders of Kota and Bharatpur have called for a bandh on Saturday.  

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