india

Updated: May 19, 2019 17:01 IST

A team of police from Nagaland left for New Delhi on Sunday after an arrested gangster from Haryana claimed to have received money to kill a senior politician from the northeastern state.

Vijay Farmana, who was arrested by Delhi Police on May 15 from Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow, had said during his interrogation that he and two associates had visited Nagaland in April to accept the contract.

Farmana, Sharad Pandey and Kapil Chitania had allegedly taken Rs 80 lakh and a Ford Endeavour vehicle to carry out the killing after the Lok Sabha election gets over.

A report in HT citing of Delhi Police’s deputy commissioner of police (crime) G Ram Gopal Naik had stated that while Farmana admitted to receiving the money for the ‘job’ he didn’t disclose the identities of who paid the amount and who was the target.

“We have sent a team of senior officers led by an inspector general (IG) to Delhi to get in touch with our counterparts there and carry out investigation and interrogation of the gangster,” Nagaland’s director general of police (DGP) T John Longkumer said.

Farmana, 29, who hails from Sonepat in Haryana and is involved in 11 murders, one rape, attempts to murder and numerous carjacking cases, was nabbed by Delhi Police following a tip-off.

News of the contract killing has created a flutter in Nagaland prompting a review of security arrangements of senior politicians, ministers and MLAs from the state.

“It is disturbing to learn about the contract to kill a Naga politician after the LS election. Investigating agencies should treat this as a high profile case and find out the person/s who paid for the hit job,” Naga People’s Front leader and former Nagaland chief minister TR Zeliang tweeted.

Nagaland deputy chief minister Y Patton, who also holds the home portfolio, issued a statement on Saturday urging the Union home ministry to constitute a committee for “carrying out an impartial inquiry”.