Puja Shakun Pandey, a prominent leader of the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha (ABHM) and the main accused in the murder of a businessman in Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh, was arrested from Bharatpur in Rajasthan on Saturday.
The case involves the killing of 25-year-old Abhishek Gupta, a two-wheeler showroom owner, who was shot dead by two men on September 26 while boarding a bus to Hathras. Police allege that Puja and her husband, ABHM spokesperson Ashok Pandey, hired the shooters, Mohd Fazal and Asif, to murder Gupta.
“Abhishek’s family claimed she had been sexually harassing him for some time and planned his murder after he ended all contact with her,” said Aligarh SSP Neeraj Kumar Jadaun. He added that Puja was arrested from Bharatpur late on Friday night and has been brought to Aligarh for interrogation.
Police sources also suggested that a dispute over a failed business deal between Puja and Abhishek might have been another reason behind the murder.
Ashok Pandey and the two hired shooters are already in jail. Fazal was arrested earlier, while Asif, the main shooter, was caught on October 3 near the Delhi-Kanpur highway in Shah Kutubpur. “Asif carried a reward of Rs 25,000 and was wanted in other criminal cases as well,” said SP (City) Mrigank Shekhar Pathak.
Puja Shakun Pandey, who also goes by the religious title Annapurna Maa and holds the position of Mahamandleshwar, had been on the run since the night of the murder. Police had announced a reward of Rs 50,000 for information leading to her arrest.
Police investigation revealed that the shooters had known Puja and her husband for nearly eight years and had recently done welding work at their house. During that time, the couple allegedly offered them money to kill Abhishek Gupta. “The shooters first demanded Rs 5 lakh, but the deal was settled for Rs 3 lakh. They were paid Rs 1 lakh in advance,” said SP Pathak.
Call records show that Ashok Pandey had contacted Fazal 27 times between August and September and spoke to his absconding wife 11 times during the same period.
Abhishek Gupta was with his father when he was shot by the two bike-borne men in Aligarh’s Roravar area. He was taken to a hospital but died the same night. In his complaint, Abhishek’s father accused Puja and Ashok Pandey of having strained relations with his son and held them responsible for his death.
Puja Shakun Pandey had previously made headlines for publicly praising Nathuram Godse, the man who assassinated Mahatma Gandhi.
