Jammu: Eleven persons, including two juveniles, were held for the daylight murder of Gataru gang kingpin Sumit Jandyal who was killed over a rivalry with another gang, police said on Wednesday.
The main conspirator who orchestrated the crime from outside India has also been identified and efforts are on to deport him, they added.
Jammu Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Joginder Singh told reporters that several rounds were fired at Jandyal while he was in an SUV near Jewel Chowk on January 21.
The assailants left the car they were in and fled in a scooter they snatched, the SSP said. A police team immediately shifted Jandyal to GMC Hospital where doctors pronounced him dead on arrival, he said.
The main accused were among those who were arrested. The arrests include shooters, conspirators, co-accused and those who harboured the criminals, the SSP said.
“Based on human and technical intelligence, as well as CCTV footage analysis, the assailants were identified,” the SSP said.
Given the gravity of the crime, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted, he added.
The SIT rounded up around 30 suspects and conducted raids in Jammu, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh.
Investigation revealed that Jandyal’s murder stemmed from an old rivalry between him and another gangster Vikas Slathia of Mandi Gharota in Samba.
The enmity between the two intensified after the murder of a Gataru gang member Akshay Kumar by Slathia’s gang in 2023 at Ramgarh, the SSP said.
Following Akshay Kumar’s murder, there was an exchange of fire between police and the two gangs at GMC Hospital in Kathua. Probationary Sub-Inspector Deepak Sharma and Vasudev Kumar, a notorious criminal, were killed in the encounter, he said.
To avenge Vasudev’s killing, Vikas Slathia allegedly planned the murder of Jandyal, the officer said.
Harsh Singh alias Banta was allegedly instructed to arrange shooters for Jandyal’s assassination, he said.
A one-room accommodation was allegedly rented in the Shastri Nagar area specifically to plan and execute Jandyal’s murder. Weapons were procured from outside Jammu and Kashmir, he added.
An Alto car was purchased for Rs 1,05,000 around a week before the murder to conduct reconnaissance and execute the plan.
During the investigation, the car and scooter used in the crime were recovered from different locations in Jammu and Samba districts.
The entire conspiracy behind Jandyal’s murder has been uncovered, and so far, 11 persons have been apprehended, SSP Singh said.
Efforts are underway to apprehend the remaining accused. Additionally, police are investigating financial transactions linked to the planning and execution of the murder, he added.
“Jammu Police is committed to eradicating crime, with a special focus on eliminating gangsterism. Rogue elements are warned to abandon their criminal activities, or they will be dealt with an iron hand,” he said. (With inputs from PTI)
