Seven people were detained on Sunday in connection with the murder Surendra Singh, a close aide of Union Minister Smriti Irani in Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi.
UP DGP OP Singh said that his force is confident of solving the case in the next twelve hours.
“Intensive investigation is underway. We’ve found vital clues. Seven people have been detained for questioning. We’re confident of solving the case in the next 12 hours,” he was quoted as saying by ANI.
He said that law and order situation was peaceful and intact. The DGP added that three companies of PAC have been deployed to maintain peace.
Surendra Singh, the former village head of Barauli, was shot dead at around 3 am by bike-born assailants when he was sleeping outside his house. He succumbed to his injuries while on his way to a hospital in Lucknow.
Singh was instrumental in Irani’s history-defining victory over Congress chief Rahul Gandhi in Amethi. Irani left New Delhi for Amethi on Sunday to meet Singh’s family.
Singh’s son pointed fingers at Congress supporters.
“My father was a close aide of Smriti Irani and used to campaign 24/7. After she became MP, Vijay Yatra was carried out. I think some Congress supporters didn’t like it. We have suspicions on some people,” he said.
Acting quickly, the police had nabbed two suspects earlier today but said that the motive behind the killing is unclear at the moment. “It can be due to an old dispute or a political dispute,” the police said.
Barauli comes under Jamo police station limits.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had during the campaigning in Amethi accused Irani of distributing shoes to villagers of Baraulia in a bid to insult party chief Rahul Gandhi.
The village was adopted in September 2015 by former Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.
Irani scripted history in Lok Sabha elections 2019 by defeating three-time Amethi MP Rahul Gandhi, wresting a seat that served as a Gandhi family bastion since 1980.