Lalit Jha, the fifth accused and mastermind in Parliament security breach case, has burnt the mobile phones of his associates along with his friend Mahesh after fleeing to Rajasthan’s Kuchaman, said police sources. He had fled from the spot after making a video of the incident and spent the night with two friends in Rajasthan’s Nagaur, following which he came to Delhi, police said.
“Lalit Jha reached Nagaur in Rajasthan by bus. There he met his two friends and spent the night in a hotel. When he realised that the police were searching for him, he came back to Delhi by bus,” the Delhi Police said according to a preliminary investigation.
Ahead of the incident, all four accused had handed over their mobile phones to Jha so that crucial investigation details cannot get into police hands as they were anticipating their arrest.
In Kuchaman, Jha met his friend Mahesh, who got him a room for the night. Both of them had met through Facebook, as revealed by Jha during his interrogation.
However, Delhi police are verifying all the claims made by Jha. Jha was also present outside the parliament and captured the video of two of his accomplices with the intent to publicise it. Ahead of Jha’s arrest, with the help of technical surveillance, police first detained Mahesh’s cousin Kailash, who told them that Mahesh and Lalit had gone to Delhi. Later, when Jha returned, he was arrested.
According to the Delhi Police, “Lalit Jha came to the police station on his own, after which the police arrested him and started the interrogation.”
Meanwhile, Delhi’s Patiala House Court on October 14, granted seven days of custodial remand of all four accused persons arrested in connection with the Parliament security breach matter.
Additional Sessions Judge Dr Hardeep Kaur on October 14, allowed all four accused Manoranjan D, Sagar Sharma, Amol Dhanraj Shinde and Neelam Devi to Mumbai, Mysore, and Lucknow to probe and find actual motives behind their act. According to the Delhi Police, the accused persons had purchased special shoes from Lucknow and canisters from Mumbai.
This was a well-planned conspiracy and attack on the Parliament of India. Police lawyers further submitted that the accused carried a pamphlet, declared Prime Minister Modi a missing person and said the person who found him would be paid money from the Swiss Bank.
The accused persons showed the Prime Minister like a proclaimed offender. Police informed the court that it had registered the FIR under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and had also added sections of stringent 16 (terrorism) and 18 (conspiracy for terrorism) of the UAPA Act.
All four accused were produced by the Special Cell of Delhi police, which sought their 15-day custodial interrogation. The four accused persons — Neelam, Amol, Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan — were produced before the Patiala House Court while Delhi Police filed a remand plea.
Sharing details of the incident, in which two unidentified men jumped into the Lok Sabha during the Zero Hour from the visitors’ gallery and set off smoke cans that they hid in their shoes.
Delhi Police stated in an official release, “All accused yesterday entered the Parliament using visitor passes and jumped from the gallery, which resulted in the hindrance during the Parliament proceedings.”
Thereafter, police stated in their plea that the accused needed to be taken to Lucknow, Mumbai and Mysore for custodial interrogation.
Meanwhile, police sources on December 14, said the four persons arrested in connection with the Security Breach in Parliament have taken common responsibility for the incident, adding that they were giving “rote answers” to the investigation team of the Delhi Police Special Cell in the matter.
(with inputs from ANI)
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