Baran police crack Manish Gautam murder case; property commission dispute named as motive, one arrested
Main accused Rajendra Gehlot and Umesh Nagar absconding; three minors detained, car used to flee seized.
Last Updated:
Representative image.
Baran: Baran police have arrested one accused and detained three minors in connection with the murder of Manish Gautam alias Bittu Sharma, uncovering what investigators describe as a conspiracy driven by a property commission dispute and personal rivalry. The arrested accused has been identified as Rakesh alias Rahul Jatav, 23, a resident of Bardiya Balaji Basti.
According to Baran Superintendent of Police Abhishek Andasu, the victim had earlier worked as a tractor driver for the alleged main conspirator Rajendra Gehlot before joining him and another associate, Umesh Nagar, in the property business. The dispute is said to have erupted after Manish helped sell his aunt’s land to Rajendra and Umesh at a reduced rate, only for the duo to allegedly withhold the commission he had been promised.
Police said the simmering tension had already turned violent three months ago, when Manish allegedly assaulted Umesh Nagar. He had also been issuing threats against Rajendra and his brother Kamal on social media, vowing to kill them. According to the police account, this rivalry allegedly pushed Rajendra and Umesh to conspire with a group of minors to eliminate Manish.
The attack took place around 11 pm on April 17, when Manish was on his way home. He was surrounded by more than half a dozen assailants who stabbed him repeatedly with knives, killing him on the spot. A murder case was registered at Kotwali Baran police station on a complaint filed by the victim’s father, Ashok Kumar Gautam, in which Kamal Gehlot, Rajendra Gehlot, Mukesh Yadav and Rahul Yadav were named as the main attackers.
Following the incident, four special teams were constituted under the supervision of Additional Superintendent of Police Rajesh Chaudhary, led by Kotwali station house officer Bhajanlal (Probationer RPS) and Kavai SHO Rajpal Singh, with support from the District Special Team and the Cyber Cell. Relying on CCTV footage and informant tip-offs, investigators traced and arrested Rakesh alias Rahul Jatav and detained three minors. A car allegedly used by the attackers to flee the scene has also been seized.
Main accused Rajendra Gehlot and Umesh Nagar are still on the run, and police teams are conducting repeated raids to trace them. The Baran SP said no accused involved in the case would be spared.
