Accused Duo Nabbed Near Mango Bus Stand With Loaded Pistol
Key Points:
- Police Arrest Two UP Shooters In Sablok Murder Case
- Duo Held Near Mango Bus Stand With Loaded Pistol
- Accused Had Accepted ₹15 Lakh Contract To Kill Sablok
JAMSHEDPUR – Police have arrested two alleged shooters from Uttar Pradesh in connection with the high-profile murder of hotelier Nikhar Sablok, marking a major breakthrough in the investigation.
Sitaramdera police station personnel raided the Mango bus stand area and caught the two accused along with a weapon. The arrested men have been identified as Pradeep Singh, 38, and Abhinay Yadav, 24, both residents of Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh. Police recovered a country-made pistol loaded with two bullets from their possession.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday, ASP Rishabh Dwivedi said police received information on September 2 that two suspects were moving around the Mango bus stand area with weapons. Based on the tip-off, a police team formed for the operation arrested the duo, who were found hiding behind a toilet near Pandey Ghat.
However, during interrogation, the accused revealed that they had been called to Jamshedpur after being offered a contract to carry out the killing. Meanwhile, the two were lodged at a house in Kumharpada through one Sunil Rajak. The investigation also found that the accused had accepted a ₹15 lakh contract on August 19 to kill Sablok.
Besides the contract, a dispute over advance payment led the two to return to Uttar Pradesh at the time without carrying out the killing. According to police, the duo later came back to Jamshedpur but were unaware that Sablok had already been murdered and that Ashok Kumar Singh, alias Raghav, one of the main accused in the case, had already been arrested.
Moreover, the two were reportedly trying to contact Raghav when they fell into the police net. The murder case has already seen six accused arrested along with the car and weapon used in the crime.
The SP said Pradeep Singh faces several serious cases in Uttar Pradesh, including murder, attempt to murder, robbery, fraud, the Gangster Act and the Arms Act. Both accused have been sent to judicial custody, while police continue raids to trace other absconding accused linked to the case, following the earlier arrest of prime accused Sintu Singh in Kanpur. Investigators had earlier pointed to a land dispute as a possible motive behind the killing.
