Hwh promoter killing: 2 prime accused held from Delhi hotel

Howrah: Two prime accused in the Pilkhana murder case, habitual offender Harun Khan and Rafakat alias Rohit Hossain, were arrested early on Thursday from a small-budget hotel in Delhi's Paharganj area even as they prepared to flee the country, Howrah City Police said. The duo was arrested 10 days after rival gang member, promoter and local youth Trinamool functionary Shafiq Khan was shot dead the morning of Feb 25 at Bhoggu Mor on Pilkhana Second Lane in the Golabari police station area under Howrah City Police.
The two were brought to Howrah late on Thursday. Howrah City Police's special investigation team (SIT), led by ACP (North) Sheikh Habibullah, made the arrests under a plan devised by Howrah City Police commissioner Akash Meghariya. Police said the hotel was around 3 km from Jama Masjid.Howrah City Police DC (North) Amlankusum Ghosh told TOI, "We had gathered several hundred CCTV clips. With the help of those footage as well as AI-guided gadgets and sources, we could trace Harun and Rohit to their hideout and arrest them. All documents and the accused will be handed to the CID. The remaining investigation will be conducted by the CID."Police said after killing Shafiq, Harun and Rohit, along with their associates Md Wakil, Md Bilal and Dildar Hossain, fled to a secret hideout in Jorasanko. The next day, Harun and Rohit escaped in an SUV arranged by Dildar, police said. Accompanied by a Metiabruz-based criminal, Md Aslam, they first went to Metiabruz and met a broker, dealing in fake documents. Police said they paid a hefty sum and ordered fake passports and visas to travel to Kabul.Subsequently, Harun and Rohit headed towards Bihar by road, police said. After a stopover in Bihar, they proceeded towards Delhi via Hazaribagh, Varanasi and Agra. CCTV footage from multiple petrol pumps along these routes captured their presence. Police said they then travelled through Daryaganj via New Delhi Railway Station to Paharganj, checked into a small-budget hotel, using fake ID documents and changed names.Police said the two kept changing the vehicle's number plates during the road journey. Whether they travelled entirely by the SUV or used decoy tactics, including dummy runs with fake plates while they used cabs or autos for parts of the journey before again boarding the SUV, would be confirmed only after interrogation, police said.Meanwhile, Wakil, Bilal, Hossain and Aslam were arrested. During interrogation, Aslam revealed about the fake documents broker, based on which, police prepared a sketch of the person. Using the sketch, police traced the broker, who had visited Harun at the Paharganj hotel to deliver the fake passports and other documents. When police raided the hotel in plain clothes, the accused were preparing to flee the country.According to police, Shafiq's murder was premeditated and that he was lured to the spot through a mutual acquaintance on the pretext of a negotiated settlement. Rohit first shot Shafiq at point-blank range in the back of his head, police said. After Shafiq fell to the ground, Harun shot three more bullets into his forehead and chest before fleeing, police said, adding the entire murder was captured on CCTV cameras.