Crime Branch gets custody of Anjuna murder bid accused

PANJIM: The Crime Branch has taken from the Madhya Pradesh police, the custody of Vipin Singh, wanted for the August 2017 attempt to murder case.

Crime Branch officials said that through a contract killer, Singh attempted to murder a Anjuna based businessman in August 2017; after the incident, he fled to Madhya Pradesh and was absconding till the time he was arrested in Bhopal by MP police. Singh was subsequently handed over to Crime Branch.

“Following information from MP police, the Crime Branch officers have taken the custody of accused. He was wanted since August 2017 following the arrest of the sharp shooters from Uttar Pradesh and Haryana who were hired by the Singh along with two others,” a Crime Branch officer said.

The other two accused including former Navy personnel Ravikant Yadav was arrested in February from Karwar, after a six-month intensive search, while Alam Shah, another conspirator, was arrested soon after the incident in August 2017.

All the accused are charged for hiring some shooters from Delhi and Haryana to kill businessman Gajendra Singh of Anjuna, reportedly over business rivalry. 

Singh had claimed that Yadav, once his good friend, owes him Rs 25 lakh. On repeated demands to return the loan amount, Yadav allegedly plotted the businessman’s murder and hired the shooters, who were arrested by Crime Branch. The police immediately registered an FIR and launched a search for him.

Yadav and Vipin were on the run ever since CB had raided a prostitution den in Porvorim wherein he is accused of running the illicit trade in guise of a spa. Girls hailing from Nepal, Maharashtra and Assam, aged between 21 and 25 years of age, were rescued from the premise while Ritesh Naik, the spa manager was arrested.

As per details shared by the CB, the trio would traffic girls from different States and force them into prostitution.