Arms supplier held for VHP Nangal unit chief’s murder

New Delhi : The Delhi Police has arrested a 22-year-old arms supplier who was wanted in a high-profile murder of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s Nangal unit president in Punjab, officials on Monday said.

Special Cell of the Delhi Police in a statement said that a joint operation by the Special Cell and the National Investigation Agency (NIA), arrested Dharminder Kumar, a resident of Ludhiana.

“Kumar, procured weapons from Madhya Pradesh used in the assassination of Vikas Prabhakar, president of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) Nangal Unit,”

Additional Commissioner of Police P S Kushwah said. “On April 13, Prabhakar was shot dead by unidentified assailants at his confectionery shop in Nangal in Punjab,” he said.

The officer further said that the case was initially registered at Nangal police station in Rupnagar district and later transferred to the NIA in May.

“Based on a tip-off, a joint team of special cell and NIA apprehended Dharminder Kumar from Balmiki Colony in Ludhiana,” the officer said.

Police said that Kumar confessed to his involvement in the crime. He has been previously involved in supply of illegal arms from Madhya Pradesh and has two cases of the Arms Act registered against him in Madhya Pradesh and Punjab.

According to the police, he revealed that in April, after being released from jail, Kumar came into contact through social media with a person based in a Middle Eastern country who instructed him to arrange for weapons. He then procured the weapons from Madhya Pradesh and supplied them to the assailants.

“An FIR has been registered and further investigation into the matter is underway,” said the officer.