Mother, four others held for murder of Dehradun businessman

The ​Uttarakhand Police on Thursday arrested five people, including the victim's mother and two shooters, in connection with the murder of businessman Arjun Sharma, officials said. Sharma (42), the owner of Amardeep Gas Agency, was shot dead outside Tibetan Market by two scooter-borne men on Wednesday. Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ajay Singh told reporters that the shooters were apprehended early Thursday morning following separate encounters. Both suspects sustained gunshot wounds to their legs and are undergoing treatment at a hospital. The shooters have been identified as brothers Rajiv Rana, and Pankaj Rana, residents of Devikhal in Pauri district. Police recovered two 315-bore pistols, cartridges and a scooter from them. Subsequent investigation led to the arrest of the victim's mother, Beena Sharma, and her associates, Vinod Uniyal and Dr Ajay Khanna, for conspiracy. According to officials, the motive behind the killing was a long-standing property dispute between Arjun Sharma, his mother and her associates. ''Beena Sharma and her associates allegedly paid a contract of Rs 12 lakh to the shooters to eliminate Arjun,'' SSP Singh said. Investigations revealed that Pankaj Rana worked as a driver for Vinod Uniyal. According to the SSP, Dr Khanna had agreed to purchase Beena Sharma's property on GMS Road for Rs 14 crore and had already transferred Rs 8 crore to the bank account of Vinod Uniyal, a close confidant of Beena Sharma. However, Arjun Sharma opposed the deal and obtained a court stay on the property. Dr Khanna was under pressure after being unable to secure the property despite the payment and had been demanding his money back from Beena Sharma, the SSP said, adding that this situation led to frequent altercations between the mother and son. The shooters were paid an initial sum of Rs 3 lakh, with the balance to be cleared after the task was completed, the SSP said.