Abohar businessman Sanjay Verma's killers' trail goes cold in Maharashtra, Bishnoi gang may have helped escape to Nepal

Indian Express

2 days ago

More than a month after the brazen murder of prominent Abohar businessman, Sanjay Verma, the three shooters involved in the killing are still at large, with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang actively helping them evade the Punjab Police.
Sanjay Verma, the 54-year-old textile businessman and co-owner of New Wear Well Gents Tailor showroom, was shot dead by three motorcycle-borne assailants near Bhagat Singh Chowk in Abohar on July 7. The killing sparked widespread outrage and raised concerns about the deteriorating law and order situation in Punjab.
A senior police officer said the Baba Siddique murder accused Shubham Lonkar was also helped by the Bishnoi gang to escape the police through the Nepal route. 'We are aware of the use of Nepal and even Bangladesh by the Bishnoi gang to help criminals make their getaway,' the officer added.
A senior Fazilka Police officer, who did not want to be named, said that the pattern of deception adopted by the killers had made the task of investigating teams difficult, but assured they would be caught soon.
The police have said that the absence of digital footprints, as the shooters avoided mobile phones, has further complicated the manhunt.
So far, as many as seven suspects have been arrested, though the three main shooters — identified as Shakti from Azimgarh, Rajinder (alias Billa), and Jaskaran (alias Katta) — remain at large.
'No arrests, no accountability, no justice'
Meanwhile, Abohar MLA Sandeep Jakhar criticised the Fazilka police for not issuing any information on the status of the investigation into the Sanjay Verma murder case.
'Apart from the fact that two persons connected with the killers were arrested from Madhya Pradesh and one person has been brought to Fazilka on remand from Maharashtra, nothing is known to us. There is no official briefing on the status of investigations by the police. AAP Supreme Arvind Kejriwal came and met the family, accompanied by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, but there has been no tangible progress on the ground,' he said.
Leader of Opposition Partap Bajwa said even though Bhagwant Mann holds the reins as both CM and the Home Minister, the Sanjay Verma murder case exposes his government's complete failure.
'Two suspects have been killed under suspicious 'encounter' circumstances while the rest remain at large — no arrests, no accountability, no justice. This isn't incompetence; it's complicity. Punjab has become a playground for a gangster–politician–police nexus under the AAP's watch,' the Congress leader said.
How the probe has progressed
The Sanjay Verma murder case has highlighted concerns about organised crime and police tactics, with ongoing scrutiny of the July 8 encounter and calls for a transparent probe.
The murder triggered protests by local trade associations, which demanded justice and enhanced security. Political leaders, including Jakhar, Bajwa, and Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Singh Badal, criticised the AAP-led Punjab government for failing to curb rising crime, labelling it a 'collapse of law and order.'
The Punjab Police formed a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) on July 12 to probe the case.
The motive, potentially linked to extortion, is still under investigation, and the police are leveraging forensic evidence, CCTV analysis, and facial recognition to track the killers.
Evidence suggests a possible international conspiracy, with Rs 1.4 lakh in foreign remittances traced to the Bikaner suspects' accounts. The police are also investigating an extortion threat Verma reportedly received before his death, with unconfirmed reports of a prior firing incident outside his residence.
On July 7, the assailants fired multiple shots, with four shell casings from two different bores recovered at the scene. After their motorcycle skidded, the attackers abandoned it, stole another bike from a passerby, and later fled in a white Maruti Swift car.
The Punjab Police sealed all entry and exit points of Abohar, launched a high-alert manhunt, and began analysing CCTV footage, which captured the assailants' escape and vehicle switch.
Within 24 hours, the Fazilka police, along with the Anti-Gangster Task Force, arrested two suspects, Jaspreet Singh and Ram Ratan, who were allegedly involved in facilitating the shooters' escape. On July 8, during an alleged weapon recovery operation near Bahawalvasi Road, both suspects were killed in a controversial police encounter after their accomplices reportedly opened fire. A head constable, Maninder Singh, was injured.
A magisterial probe was initiated to investigate the encounter, with the suspects' families demanding a CBI inquiry and widespread allegations of a fake encounter by Congress leaders.
On July 11, three men — Inderpal Bishnoi, Sandeep Khichad, and Pawan Khichad — were arrested in Bikaner, Rajasthan, for providing shelter and financial support to the shooters. On July 17, Priyanjal Sharma and Anshuman Tiwari were apprehended in Shajapur, Madhya Pradesh, for supplying Rs 1.3 lakh to the shooters and aiding their escape.
A social media post by Naveen Kumar, alias Aarzoo Bishnoi, an associate of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, claimed responsibility for the murder. The police are verifying this claim, suspecting links to extortion rackets targeting local businessmen.