New Delhi: One of the accused arrested in the Junaid and Nasir double murder allegedly shared details of the two men with cow vigilante Mohit Yadav alias Monu Manesar through text/WhatsApp messages on 5 February, ThePrint has learnt. These details included the phone numbers of Junaid and Nasir, besides the vehicle number of their Bolero.
It is also learnt that there was an exchange of phone calls and messages between the said accused and Monu, a Bajrang Dal worker, from 5-8 February and again from 13-14 February, as well as on 15 February — the day of the killing. Police officers privy to the probe said, during these exchanges, the two discussed how to trap Junaid and Nasir.
Sources in Rajasthan police told ThePrint that Monu was allegedly in the know of how those on the ground tracked, assaulted and killed the two Muslim men from Bharatpur before disposing of their bodies in Bhiwani, where they were found on 16 February.
Besides him, 10 others have been arrested in connection with the case.
“One of the accused and Monu had an elaborate discussion on Junaid and Nasir. They ideated and planned the entire incident. There was mutual agreement on their plan of action and others were informed. Chats and call detail records revealed how Monu was an active part of the crime,” said one source in the Rajasthan police.
The source added that Monu Manesar “knew how they (Junaid and Nasir) were killed and how the accused disposed of their bodies”, and that Monu and the other accused were in touch “till 15 February”.
Police sources also said Monu was allegedly aware that the two men were taken to police in Haryana’s Ferozpur Jhirka after being assaulted. As ThePrint reported earlier, other accused in the case claimed during custodial interrogation that the police officers in Ferozpur Jhirka turned them away, citing the condition of the two men and lack of jurisdiction.
“Monu and his gang of gau rakshaks (cow vigilantes) have been doing this for years. They enjoyed great impunity. They discuss among themselves — ‘isko pakadna hai, yahan se (need to catch that person, from that spot)’ — and then execute the plan. The modus operandi has been the same over the years. They were also seen accompanying police during raids,” said another source in the Rajasthan police.
A member of Manesar district administration’s ‘civil defence team’, Monu Manesar is also part of the district ‘cow protection task force’ that works in tandem with the Haryana police to crack down on illegal cattle smuggling. His social media posts confirm that he accompanied police during multiple raids to catch suspected cow smugglers.
The posts show gau rakshaks interrogating these suspected cow smugglers and Monu recording video blogs from the spot where they “caught” the suspected cow smuggler.
“Police teams dug deep into the conversations between Monu and one of the accused arrested earlier. He (Monu) has denied involvement but technical evidence and intelligence reveals how he was involved in the killings. He is part of the conspiracy hatched to trap the two men (Junaid and Nasir),” said the second source quoted earlier.
Monu Manesar was arrested from Gurugram by Haryana police Tuesday in a separate case and handed over to Rajasthan police.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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