Namdhari sent to police custody till Nov 28

A court here Friday sent Sukhdev Singh Namdhari, an eyewitness to the Nov 17 shootout at a farmhouse here in which liquor baron Ponty Chadha and brother Hardeep were killed, to five days in police custody.

Namdhari was sacked as chairman of the Uttarakhand Minority Commission after the shootout and was arrested from his farmhouse in Uttarakhand Friday.

Delhi Police, seeking the custody of Namdhari, accused him of being the main conspirator in Ponty Chadha shootout case, saying that he fired at Hardeep Chadha.

Metropolitan magistrate Sandeep Garg, remanding Namdhari in Delhi Police custody till Nov 28, said the investigating agencies should be given an opportunity to recover the weapon used in the crime.

Police told the court that Namdhari had shot at Ponty Chadha's brother Hardeep and in his disclosure statement he admitted about firing at Hardeep with his pistol when Hardeep pointed a gun at him.

The investigating agency said Namdhari was the main culprit since in his FIR, he did not disclose about the firing and had also hidden his gun.

Seeking Namdhari's custody, the police told the court that Namdhari was the frontman of Ponty Chadha and accused him of vandalising the farmhouse and committing loot and attempt to murder.

Namdhari went missing from New Delhi after lodging a first information report following the shootout at Chhattarpur.

He has more than three dozen cases against him, which include murder, attempt to murder and dacoity.

The probe has been transferred to the Crime Branch. Delhi's south district police were investigating the case earlier.

"Seven people have been arrested in connection with the case. Further investigations will be conducted by the Crime Branch of Delhi Police," a senior officer told IANS.