Jharkhand gangster ‘eliminated by protege over extortion money’: Police

DEHRADUN: In a major breakthrough in the probe into the daylight murder of 54-year-old Jharkhand gangster Vikram Sharma in Dehradun on Friday morning, Uttarakhand police on Saturday claimed to have unravelled the conspiracy and identified all three assailants.A senior officer at the police headquarters (PHQ), monitoring the investigation, told TOI that Sharma was "killed on the directions of gangster Akhilesh Singh", who is currently lodged in Dumka Central Jail in Jharkhand. Sharma had allegedly mentored Singh in the past, helping him establish himself in the criminal network. "It emerged during the probe that there was a dispute between the two over the sharing of extortion money. Since Singh is in jail, Sharma allegedly siphoned off a larger share, which enraged him. Over the same dispute, Singh had attempted to eliminate Sharma two months ago during his visit to Jharkhand but failed. On Friday, he succeeded," said the officer, requesting anonymity.Sharma, who was named in more than 50 criminal cases, including the 2007 murder of Sreeleathers co-owner Ashish Dey in Jamshedpur, was out on bail. He had been living in a rented apartment in Dehradun for over a year and regularly visited a gym inside a shopping complex on Rajpur Road. He was shot dead by three unidentified assailants on Friday morning after stepping out of the gym.The officer said police have identified all three accused and traced the route they took to flee the scene. "After escaping on a motorbike, they reached Haridwar and stayed in a hotel for a few hours before boarding a train to leave the state. They have been identified and will be arrested soon. The investigation also revealed that Sharma was shot in the head from behind at point-blank range, indicating the attackers were professional and intended to leave no chance of survival," he added.When contacted, Uttarakhand DGP Deepam Seth declined to share further details, citing the ongoing investigation. "However, we can confirm that the motive behind the murder has been established and the shooters, who are from Jharkhand, have been identified. Uttarakhand STF teams are coordinating with their counterparts in Jharkhand to arrest the accused at the earliest," Seth said.