7th arrest in Rohtak property dealer’s murder

Rohtak: An accused in the murder of a property dealer in Rohtak was injured in a police encounter on Thursday night. The accused, identified as Deepak, allegedly opened fire at the police, after which the police retaliated, hitting him in both legs. He was admitted to the trauma centre at PGIMS Rohtak for treatment.Victim Satyawan, a resident of Kheri Sadh village, went missing on Feb 20 after his car was found abandoned near Kharawar village. Bloodstains and empty bullet shells were recovered from the spot. During investigation, police arrested two suspects, whose disclosure led to the recovery of Satyawan's body from the Jawaharlal Nehru canal on Feb 24. The body was allegedly tied with stones and dumped in the canal.Police said the CIA-2 team received information on Thursday night that Deepak was moving on the Gandhra–Atail road. When the team tried to stop him, he attempted to flee on a motorcycle and allegedly opened fire on the police. In the retaliatory firing, he was shot in both legs and overpowered.A country-made pistol and the motorcycle were seized from him. Deepak, a resident of Lath village in Sonipat district, has four criminal cases registered against him, including murder, illegal weapons possession, and assault.Police said the murder was linked to an old rivalry. In 2018, Satyawan killed a youth from his village and was sentenced to life imprisonment. He secured bail from the high court about 6 months ago.CIA-2 in-charge Satish Kadian said the murder conspiracy was hatched by Pradeep Dagar, while Deepak acted as the shooter. He will be taken on remand for further questioning after recovery.