Shimla Police has arrested the mastermind Himank Mittal while revealing the Manisha Mittal murder case. According to the police, the murder was carried out due to a property dispute. All four accused including two shooters have been arrested in this case.
Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [भारत]June 30 (ANI): Shimla Police on Tuesday claimed to have solved the sensational murder mystery of Manisha Mittal. The police arrested the alleged mastermind Himank Mittal and said that the murder was the result of a property dispute and was carried out with full planning through hired shooters.
Addressing a press conference, Shimla Superintendent of Police (SP) Mehar Panwar said the investigation revealed that Himank Mittal along with his associate Govind conspired to eliminate Manisha Mittal and arranged for two contract killers from Haryana to execute the crime.
When and how did the murder take place?
The victim was shot dead near Saraswati Paradise School in Sanjauli on June 13, following which Shimla Police launched a high-profile investigation.
Soon after the incident, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed and several teams were sent to Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and other states.
Many important revelations were made in the investigation
According to the ASP, within 49 hours of the murder, police arrested both the alleged shooters, Ashish Ahlawat and Deepak from Haryana, and also recovered two pistols used in the crime.
During the investigation, the police found that the root of the murder was an ongoing property dispute between Himank Mittal and the victim’s family.
Who was involved in the conspiracy?
Investigators found that Govind allegedly rented the Swift car used in the crime, arranged for the shooters and transferred money to one of the accused, Deepak.
After the murder, Govind reportedly fled, traveled abroad and switched off his mobile phone in an attempt to avoid arrest. However, Shimla Police arrested him from Rohtak, Haryana on June 28. After this he was brought to Shimla and sent to police custody for four days.
Funding for murder and surveillance through CCTV
Additional SP Mehar Panwar said that investigation also revealed that a few days before the murder, Himansh Mittal had transferred Rs 8.5 lakh to Govind’s bank account.
Police believe the money was used to finance the murder and help the accused escape.
The investigators also found that Himank Mittal had access to the CCTV cameras installed at Saraswati Paradise School, through which he could monitor Manisha Mittal’s activities.
According to the police, she shared this CCTV access with Govind, who in turn gave it to hired shooters so that they could track the victim before carrying out the attack.
Police statement on arrest of mastermind
Briefing the media, Additional SP Mehar Panwar said, “Based on technical evidence, financial transactions, CCTV analysis and statements of witnesses, we have found that Himank Mittal is the mastermind of this murder conspiracy.”
Police arrested Himansh Mittal on 29 June. However, the ASP said that he is currently unfit to be physically produced in the court and instead he will be produced before the magistrate through video conferencing to obtain police remand.
Describing it as “an extremely complex and carefully planned case”, the ASP said the investigation relied extensively on technical surveillance, digital evidence and financial analysis to establish the conspiracy. He said all the accused involved in the case, including the alleged mastermind, conspirators and the two shooters, have now been arrested.
Police said Govind has confessed to his role in the conspiracy during interrogation, although investigators are continuing custodial interrogation to establish every aspect of the case and gather further concrete evidence.
Additional SP Mehar Panwar reiterated that Shimla District Police is committed to ensuring public safety and bringing all criminals to justice through professional investigation and scientific evidence.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)