2 contract killers held for murder of transgender

Delhi Police has arrested a 33-year-old criminal and his associate for allegedly being involved in a murder case of a transgender at GTB Enclave area.

The accused have been identified as Gagan Bhardwaj alias Gagan Pandit, a resident of Paschim Puri, Paschim Vihar, and Varun (19), a resident of Lal Quan.

Police said that the accused were wanted in a shootout case of GTB Enclave area on September 5, 2020 in which one Ekta Joshi, a transgender, was killed. Pandit and one Aamir had fired at Ekta, 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 pm, two persons came on a scooter and fired multiple shots in which she died, police said.

According to Pramod Singh Kushwah, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Special Cell, police received information regarding the accused and laid a trap near

Nirankari Samagam Grounds on Saturday.

“The accused were spotted in a car around 5 am coming from Majlis Park Metro Station side. They were signaled to stop, but the accused whipped out their pistols and fired at police. However, police nabbed the duo,” said the DCP.

“Pandit disclosed that he is the mastermind of the execution of 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 killing. Groups of transgenders headed by Sonam and Varsha of Faridabad and Kamal and Manjoor Elahi of GTB Enclave were the rivals of group of Ekta and her step mother Anita,” said the DCP.

“The rivalry between both the groups of transgenders was on the issue of domination of the area in Trans-Yamuna for collecting money from the people on social occasions. Pandit was previously involved in 14 cases, said the DCP.