Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Police claimed to have solved the murder case of Sumit Jandyal alias Gataru by arresting 11 accused persons, including the shooters. They said the conspiracy to kill Gataru was hatched outside the country, and efforts were on to deport the mastermind.
Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, SSP Jammu Joginder Singh said that 11 accused, including two juveniles, were arrested after raiding different locations in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, New Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh.
“The main conspirator in the murder of Sumit Jandyal has been identified, and efforts are being made by Jammu Police for his deportation, as he hatched the criminal conspiracy from outside India,” he said.
Singh said that a special investigation team (SIT) was constituted to probe the case, which has unearthed the planning and execution of the murder.
According to the SSP, unknown gunmen fired several bullets at Jandyal on January 21 when he was driving a red Mahindra Thar at Jewel Rotary and fled the scene after stealing a grey Scooty.
“The Special Investigation Team rounded up around 30 suspects, and raids were conducted in Jammu, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh. Based on human and technical inputs and analysis of CCTVs, we identified the assailants and arrested them,” he said.
During the investigation, it was revealed that the murder was a result of the old rivalry between Jandyal and Vikas Slathia, alias Vicky, son of Ravinder Singh of Vijaypur in Samba district.
Police said Vicky's group killed one Akshay Kumar in Ramgarh in 2023, and the police team launched searches in response. During the gunfight with criminals, PSI Deepak Sharma and a prominent criminal, Vasudev Kumar alias Shunnu, were killed. “To take revenge for Shunnu’s killing, Vicky planned the murder of Sumit Jandyal,” they alleged.
“Harsh Singh, alias Banta, son of Ramesh Singh of Bikram Chowk, Jammu, was already in touch with Vicky, and he was told to arrange boys for the Jandyal’s murder,” police said.
According to them, one room was rented in the Shastri Nagar area specifically for the murder, and weapons were provided from outside the UT of J&K. “An Alto car (black-coloured) bearing number JK02AP-6546 was also purchased for carrying out the recce and execution of murder for Rs. 1.05 lakh around a week before the murder. For the last four months, proper recce was being conducted regarding the stay and movement of Sumit Jandyal,” they added.
During the investigation, an Alto car and an I-20 car bearing number JK12C-5339 were used for the commission of a crime, and a Scooty snatched by the accused after the commission of the crime has been recovered from different places in Jammu and Samba districts.
Police said that the entire conspiracy of the murder has been unearthed, and 11 accused have been arrested, whereas strenuous efforts are being made to arrest the remaining accused who were instrumental in the execution of the crime.
Moreover, efforts are also being made to work out the financial transactions planning and execution of this murder.
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