PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
Two men accused in the Rohit Negi murder case Mohammad Azhar Tyagi and Ayush Kumar were arrested following a police encounter late on Thursday night in Dehradun. The duo sustained bullet injuries during the exchange of fire and are currently undergoing treatment, the Dehradun senior superintendent of police Ajai Singh said. The arrest comes days after the shocking murder of BJP Yuva Morcha’s former Mandal president Rohit Negi on June 2 in the Premnagar area, which had triggered concern in the area.
Singh said that the police had launched an extensive manhunt for the accused across Ghaziabad, Muzaffarnagar and other areas where they were suspected to be active. Based on intelligence inputs suggesting that the duo might try to escape towards Haridwar’s Manglaur or Purkazi in Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh, police deployed personnel in the region. Late on Thursday, officers attempted to stop a motorcycle during checking that prompted the suspects to flee towards a nearby forest and open fire on the police, Singh said. “In the retaliatory firing, one accused sustained bullet injuries in both legs and one hand, while the other was shot in both legs. The injured accused were taken to the community health centre of Gurukul Narsan for initial treatment and later referred to AIIMS Rishikesh due to the severity of their injuries,” he said.
The SSP informed that additional forces were also stationed in the area due to the sensitive nature of the case. He stated that Tyagi is a resident of Barla in the Purkazi area near the Muzaffarnagar-Manglaur border. The encounter occurred during an active chase by the police team.
Rohit Negi was shot dead late on the night of June 2 at DBIT Chowk in Premnagar. Tyagi and his accomplice reportedly opened fire on Negi’s car, fatally hitting him in the neck and killing him on the spot. The motive behind the murder is believed to be a long-standing personal dispute between Negi and Azhar involving a female acquaintance. The police had been tracking Azhar’s movements in Gurugram, Noida and his native Muzaffarnagar before finally catching up with him on Thursday night.
