Delhi Police Commissioner Rakesh Asthana on Friday afternoon grilled all accused in last Saturday’s Jahangirpuri violence, top sources told CNN-News18.
Eight police personnel and a local resident were injured as clashes broke out between two communities during the Hanuman Jayanti procession on April 16. According to police, there was stone-pelting and arson and some vehicles were also torched. The Delhi Police’s crime branch is probing the case with assistance from the Northwest district police and the special cell’s Intelligence Fusion Strategic Operation (IFSO) unit.
So far, 25 people have been arrested and two juveniles have been apprehended in the case.
Asthana visited the Rohini crime branch office at 11.30am and stayed there for three hours. His focus was to find the mastermind behind the riots, said sources.
He also verified a few facts and instructed senior officials accordingly, added sources.
ALSO READ | Jahangirpuri Violence LIVE Updates HERE
Meanwhile, Asthana has written to Sanjay Kumar Mishra, director of the Enforcement Directorate, to investigate if “main conspirator” Ansar, 35, was involved in money laundering.
During preliminary investigation, it has emerged that Ansar has money in many of bank accounts and is also in possession of several properties which were allegedly purchased through gambling money, police said. “We have requested the agency concerned (ED) to probe the money-laundering angle to ascertain if this money was being given by someone for a purpose, or if he earned this money through illegal means so that we can establish the links,” a senior officer told PTI.
According to the Delhi Police, it has slapped the stringent National Security Act on five arrested accused, including Ansar, even as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) accused each other of links with the main conspirator.
Ansar allegedly had an argument with participants of the Hanuman Jayanti procession that escalated and led to stone pelting, according to the FIR.
According to police, a crime branch team has been sent to West Bengal where they are questioning the relatives of those who belong to the state and have been arrested. The team has already questioned family members of one of the arrested accused, Md. Aslam, who had opened fire. A bullet had hit sub-inspector Meda Lal, who is recovering.
With PTI Inputs
Read all the Latest News , Breaking News and IPL 2022 Live Updates here.
,