Punjab: Police Nabs Suspect Wanted In VHP Leader’s Murder Case

Chandigarh: Punjab police on Monday claimed to have arrested a suspect, identified as Mukul Mishra, wanted in the murder case of Nangal-based Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader.

Stating that the case is being investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Director General of Police (DGP), Punjab, Gaurav Yadav, said a shopkeeper Vikas Prabhakar alias Vikas Bagga, head of VHP, Nangal Mandal, was shot dead by two unidentified assailants at his shop on April 13. While one of the two assailants wore a helmet, the other had his face covered with a muffler and they had come on a black scooty, he added.

DGP Yadav said that the development came four months after Punjab police had arrested both the assailants identified as Mandeep Kumar alias Mangi and Surinder Kumar alias Rikka after recovering two .32 bore pistols and scooty used in the crime.

He said following investigations, including financial trail and intelligence inputs, the counter-intelligence (CI) wing of the Ludhiana police launched an operation spread across Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir which led to the arrest of the accused Mukul Mishra, a resident of district Gonda in Uttar Pradesh (UP).

He said that preliminary investigations have revealed that accused Mukul Mishra facilitated the payment via his bank account to procure weapons used in Vikas Bagga’s murder. Police teams have also identified two more UP-based suspects including the person who procured weapons, he added.

The DGP said that the arrested accused Mukul Mishra was also wanted in another case FIR No. 55 of 2024 registered under section 379-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 25 of the Arms Act at Police Station Division 2 Ludhiana.