The investigation by central intelligence agencies has revealed that a UK-based associate of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi was behind the plot to target stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui, delegating the task to two individuals in Delhi, The Indian Express reported.
These findings came to light during the investigation of another murder case. Last month an Afghan gym owner was shot dead in Greater Kailash on September 13. The probe in the matter led the police to one of the shooters.
The shooter, recruited by UK-based gangster Rohit Godara, was arrested last month in a separate case by the Special Task Force in Haryana, where he disclosed these details during interrogation.
According to the police, after the murder of Afghan national Nadir Shah last month, they arrested ten individuals and determined that Bishnoi was also behind this attack.
“While questioning the men, police found that some of them had also conducted a recce of a prominent hotel in New Friends Colony, but were not aware of their target at the time,” a source said.
The central intelligence agencies shared the information with Delhi Police. They shared that a Muslim comedian was on the hit list of Bishnoi’s gang. However, they were not sure of who it was.
“That’s when a team of Delhi Police, who were simultaneously probing Nadir Shah’s murder, visited the hotel in New Friends Colony last month and found Faruqui’s name on the guest list. Faruqui was in Delhi to participate in the Entertainers Cricket League,” the source added.
Munawar Faruqui alerted
Post finding Faruqui’s name on the guest list, the police immediately alerted him in person at the Indira Gandhi International stadium.
Faruqui later traveled to Mumbai, with the Delhi police providing him with security and requesting their counterparts in Mumbai to extend the same protection, as reported by The Indian Express.
“Police also checked the guest list of a hotel in nearby Nehru Place, and found that two persons who recently came out on bail were staying there,” the source further revealed.
A source revealed the details shared by the accused allegedly hired to target Faruqui, saying that he was approached by Godara over a call and asked him to “eliminate Faruqui”. “ He along with his associate conducted a recce in Mumbai as well as Delhi,” the source added.
“However, since no specific case was filed regarding the threat to Faruqui’s life, this individual was arrested in an earlier case against him in Haryana,” the source stated.
