'Godman' involved in BSP leader's killing held in Ghaziabad

The Ghaziabad police on Saturday arrested a self-styled godman in Uttar Pradesh who was allegedly involved in the 2013 murder of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Deepak Bhardwaj

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh

The Ghaziabad police on Saturday arrested a self-styled godman in Uttar Pradesh who was allegedly involved in the 2013 murder of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Deepak Bhardwaj.

Machhendra Nath alias Baba Pratibhanand, who carried a bounty of Rs 1 lakh by the Delhi Police, was on the run for the last four years, police said. On Friday around 10 p.m. a team led by Superintendent of Police (City) Akash Tomar arrested Pratibhanand, SSP Ghaziabad PRO S.K. Saxena said.

Pratibhanand is a resident of Beed in Maharashtra. Bhardwaj, who had contested the Lok Sabha election on a BSP ticket in 2009, was the richest candidate in Delhi, having declared assets worth Rs 600 crore.

He was shot dead at his 34-acre Nitesh Kunj farmhouse near the toll plaza in Gurugram on March 26, 2013. Two or three criminals on a motorbike had shot Bhardwaj dead, Delhi Police said.

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