Govt body chief mastermind in Saifi murder: shooters

LUCKNOW: The sudden summoning of a chairman of an institution of the state government on Wednesday night has raised eyebrows. The summons and the subsequent presence of the said chairman, sources said, was directly link to the revelation made by Saifi murder case accused -- Salim and Rustam, who along with their third brother Sohrab were brought by the Delhi police on Tuesday to the state capital for the recovery of the looted items from a jewellery shop.
The interrogation of Salim, Rustam and Sohrab, sources said, was done at Pandeyganj police outpost late in the night. Along with Delhi police team, at least two ASPs, a station officer and an IPS officer from Lucknow police were present, when the three brothers were investigated. To recall, shooters Salim, Rustam -- the two accused in Saif Haider ‘Saifi' murder case along with their brother Sohrab were arrested by Delhi police over a week back in Rs 83-lakh jewellery shop loot and murder case. Salim, Rustam and Sohrab allegedly committed the crime at Gaurav Gambhir's shop in Krishnanagar police station area in New Delhi.
In state capital on Tuesday, Salim, Rustam and Sohrab confessed before the Delhi and Lucknow police that Saif Haider ‘Saifi' was murdered at the ‘behest' of the chairman, who resides in the old city area.
Sources said that the chairman was also involved in another famous arson case following which he had to spend some time in jail. Salim told the investigators that since the chairman was his mentor also, he had no option, but to believe in whatever he used to tell him. It was on one such day that the chairman told the shooter that Saifi had an illicit relation with a woman, who was related to Salim. Besides this, he also told Salim Saifi was a police informer, and was creating obstacles in several of his work.
Salim and Rustam also revealed that even though the chairman's involvement with the woman said to be closely related to Salim by then was known to several of the people, they obeyed their master's directive and eliminated Saifi.
Sources said that top officials were apprised about the revelation made by Salim, Rustam and Sohrab and were waiting for the directives from the higher ups for the arrest of the chairman.
Sources also said that it was in this regard that the said chairman was summoned by authorities to know his point of view amidst speculation that he would be arrested in the evening. However, sources said since the green signal from the corridor of power was still awaited, the officials could not pursue the case further.
Senior police officials in Lucknow though confirmed the presence of three in Lucknow on Tuesday, they remained evasive when asked did they name the chairman as the main conspirator? The only reply from the officials was that only the ‘actual conspirator' would be nabbed.