Several weeks after a youth and his girlfriend, both engineering students, were found murdered atop a fort, police have arrested five persons for the crime but the alleged mastermind remains at large.
Sharukh Firoz Khan Pathan (22) and Nilofar Khalid Baig (20), students of an engineering college at Pusad in Yavatmal district, were found hacked to death atop Ramgad Fort near temple city of Mahur in Nanded district on September 10.
According to police, the duo was in a relationship and had travelled to the fort in Sharukh's car.
Police arrested five persons yesterday who they claimed carried out the double murder at the behest of a man who promised them Rs 5 lakh for carrying out the task.
The five -- Raja Raghunath Gadekar, Sheikh Javed Sheikh Husain alias Painter, Rangrao Shyamrao Babatkar, Sheshrao alias Pintoo Shyamrao Babatkar and Krisha alias Babu Marotrao Shinde, all residents of Mahur -- were today produced before a court which sent them in police custody till November 3, said Nanded Local Crime Branch chief Shivaji Doifode.
Police have recovered the weapons used in the cold blooded murder, he said.
However, Raghu Rokad alias Don, who offered them Rs 5 lakh for eliminating the duo and paid an advance of Rs 20,000 to the accused, remains at large.
Despite the arrest, police remain clueless about the motive.
"Unless Don is arrested, the exact cause of the cold- blooded murder cannot be ascertained. We have some clues about his hideouts and are confident of arresting him soon. Some others may also be involved in the case," Doifode said.
After groping in dark for several weeks, police zeroed in on Raju Gadekar, from whose house Nilofar's mobile phone was recovered. During interrogation, Raju disclosed the names of the other accused, who too, were nabbed, police said.
