Feud in Bajrangi gang suspected as reason

LUCKNOW: Preliminary probe has hinted that an internal feud within the gang of jailed mafioso Munna Bajrangi was behind the sensational killing of Bajrangi’s close associate and Varanasi contractor Mohd Tariq, 40, who was shot dead by motorcycle-borne assailants in a moving Fortuner SUV on the Gomti Nagar extension over bridge here on Friday evening.

Initial police investigation revealed a conflict among his associates over handling financial dealings of the gang was allegedly the reason for the murder. A source said Tariq was reportedly handling the gang’s financial dealings after Bajrangi’s brother-in-law Pushpjeet’s murder on March 5, 2016. He said Pushpjeet was also shot dead in the same manner by motorcycle-borne assailants in a moving car in Sector 3 of Vikas Nagar.

“Before Tariq, Pushpjeet was the main financial handler of the gang and his murder was also allegedly a fallout of internal conflict

TARIQ WAS HANDLING THE GANG’S FINANCIAL DEALINGS AFTER BAJRANGI’S BROTHERINLAW PUSHPJEET WAS MURDERED IN THE SAME MANNER IN MARCH 2016

over financial issues,” said a senior police official associated with the probe. He said Pushpjeet was accused of making money by hiding financial transactions from Bajrangi. Similarly, Tariq was also accused of making money for himself after being elevated in the gang to handle all financial dealings, he added.

The official said Tariq had even started maintaining distance from other gang members. The deceased was summoned by Bajrangi but was avoiding meeting him. He went to meet Bajrangi in Jhansi jail only a few days ago after the latter’s repetitive messages. The role of a woman having proximity with the jailed Mafioso was also suspected behind the killing as she was aware of Tariq’s movement from his house in Kaveri Apartments of Gomti Nagar extension to Dubbaga when he was attacked. The official said she was well aware that Tariq was moving alone without any security and allegedly tipped off the shooters.

However, Tariq’s wife Neha Srivastava alias Tahida Naaz has accused four people, including a retired deputy SP, GN Singh, his property dealer son Pradeep Singh and their two associates Raja and Sonu of the killing. Saying that the property dealer got Tariq killed over an alleged financial dispute, she lodged an FIR against him and three others with Gomti Nagar police.

Meanwhile, taking a serious note of the incident, the top UP police officials have roped in Special Task Force (STF) to help the city police probe the matter. IG , STF, Amitabh Yash himself is supervising the case.

FOUR BULLET WOUNDS

Post mortem examination of Tariq’s body revealed that he suffered at least four bullet wounds. Three bullet shells were found in his body while one apparently pierced through his body.