Delhi Police arrested two contract killers who were allegedly involved in a murder case of a transgender at GTB Enclave area, the police said on Sunday.
The accused have been identified as Gagan Bhardwaj alias Gagan Pandit, a resident of Paschim Puri, and Varun (19), a resident of Lal Quan, they said.
They were wanted in a shoot-out case at GTB Enclave on September 5, 2020, in which one Ekta Joshi, a transgender, was killed. Pandit and one Aamir had fired at Ekta, the police said.
Ekta, with her step-mother Anita Joshi and step-brother Ashish Joshi, had come to her residence from Laxmi Nagar. Around 8.30 p.m., two persons came on a scooter and fired multiple shots and she died, they said.
“The police received information regarding the accused and laid a trap near Nirankari Samagam Grounds on Saturday. The accused were spotted in a car coming from Majlis Park metro station side around 5 a.m. They were signaled to stop, but the accused whipped out their pistols and fired at the police. However, the police team led by Inspector Shiv Kumar nabbed the duo,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Pramod Singh Kushwah said.
Pandit disclosed that he is the mastermind behind Ekta’s murder. One Manzoor Elahi, a member of a group of transgenders, had approached him for killing Anita and Ekta, members of rival group of transgenders, the DCP said.
Elahi agreed to pay ₹55 lakh to Pandit for the murder, the police said.
Rivalry
Groups of transgenders headed by Sonam and Varsha of Faridabad and Kamal and Manzoor Elahi of GTB Enclave were the rivals of Ekta’s group and her step-mother Anita, the police said.
The rivalry between both the transgender groups was on the issue of domination in Trans-Yamuna area in collection of money from people on social occasions, the police said.
Pandit was previously involved in 14 cases, including one murder, four attempt to murder, three dacoity and three robbery, in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, the police added.
Published - April 12, 2021 12:43 am IST
