In a major breakthrough in the Rohit Negi murder case, the two main accused were injured in a police encounter late at night near the Manglaur border of Muzaffarnagar. The duo, Mohammad Azhar Tyagi and Ayush Kumar alias Sikandar, tried to flee when police located them, resulting in an exchange of fire during which both were shot in the legs. The injured accused have been admitted to a hospital in serious condition.
Police teams had been conducting raids at several suspected hideouts in western Uttar Pradesh for the past few days. Late at night, police spotted Azhar, a resident of Pradhan Patti Barla in Muzaffarnagar, and Ayush, from Malendi in Shamli district, near the Manglaur border. Upon being challenged, the accused attempted to escape and fired at the police. The police retaliated, injuring both.
The murder case dates back to Tuesday early morning when Premnagar police received a tip that a man had been shot at Peepal Chowk in Manduwala. The victim was rushed to Graphic Era Hospital by his friends, where he was declared dead. He was identified as Rohit Negi, a stone crusher owner and BJP worker.
According to the police, Rohit was at a party with five or six friends, including a girl known to one of his friends. During the party, she received a call from Azhar, which turned into a heated argument. Rohit overheard Azhar hurling abusive language at her and confronted him. Though the situation was momentarily diffused, Azhar later intercepted Rohit’s car on the road and shot him through the windshield, hitting him in the neck.
The encounter and arrests have brought some closure to the high-profile case and reinforced Uttarakhand Police’s stand against rising criminal activities.
