The Una police have arrested factory manager Pradeep Gupta and four other alleged contract killers in the connection of murder case of Vinod Kumar, the industrialist from Punjab who was killed at Mehatpur on Thursday.
The police claimed that this was the first instance of Himachali youth turning into contract killers. The police also claimed that they killed the industrialist for a petty sum of Rs 40,000 and the youth who pulled the trigger did it for Rs 7,500.
Una Police revealed that Pradeep managed work at Vinod’s cottonseed oil mill and Vinod rarely visited it. He allegedly swindled about Rs 20 lakh from mill sales and Vinod came to the mill yesterday to settle the issue, but Pradeep planned Vinod’s murder as he did not have the amount.
Police said that Pradeep initially contacted Anil Kumar, a local resident, and planned the murder. The SP added that Anil hired three unemployed Una youths, Rajeev of Dehlan village, Sunil of Rakkar Colony and Arun of Badala village. These contract killers were promised Rs 2 lakh for this crime.
Police said that pistol used for the crime was procured from the Saharanpur area in Uttar Pradesh. The police have recovered the pistol and motorcycle used in the crime.
