JANAKPUR, Sept 19: Janakpur police on Thursday made public the alleged mastermind behind journalist Uma Singh´s murder five years ago. The murder-accused, Umesh Yadav aka Swamiji, was arrested from Dhangadhi in Kailali district Tuesday, informed Superintendent of Police (SP) Uttam Raj Subedi in Janakpur.
SP Subedi also informed that since Singh´s murder on 11 January 2009, the accused Yadav, who hails from Balhasdhara-1 in Dhanusha, has been actively involved in various other criminal activities. According to Subedi,Yadav, who has owned up to Singh´s murder, was arrested from Gaurifenta in Dhangadhi while he was about to cross the Nepal boarder into India. [break]
According to Janakpur police, Yadav was the mastermind behind various criminal activities including murder. He was arrested on a special tip-off. SP Subedi further informed that a police team from Dhanusha deployed to arrest Yadav was able to nab him after just six days of deployment, with the help of his mobile phone number.
Over a dozen criminal cases have been registered against Yadav in Dhanusha, Mahottari, Sarlahi and Siraha districts. Yadav has settled in Dhangadhi with his family. Besides Singh´s murder, he is also accused of the murder of 25-year-old Ramesh Dahal and 40-year-old Laxmi Kant Rai of Bharatpur-6, Dhanusha.
Similarly, he was allegedly involved in the abduction and subsequent murder of Kishori Yadav of Ramdaiya-3, also in Dhanusha, on 28 December, 2012. The investigation further revealed that Yadav was involved in extortion and illegal arms dealings, among other criminal offences.
SP Subedi also said that police would seek life imprisonment and confiscation of all property against Yadav for the Singh murder.
In the beginning, Yadav was affiliated with Janatantrik Tarai Mukti Morcha, the outfit led by Jwala Singh. He involved himself in various offices, posing as chairman of Tarai Ekata Parishad, police further informed.
Meanwhile, SP Subedi also said that police have made headway in solving the murder of media entrepreneur Arun Singhaniya and the Janakpur bomb blast. “We have brought the mastermind of journalist Singh´s murder to book. We are also preparing to arrest the Singhaniya murder-accused and those involved in the Janakpur bomb blast,” Subedi said.