From driver to godman’s deputy,Praveen was on a roll for two years

Sources said Kumar,a native of Jhajjar in Haryana,would drive an auto-rickshaw till 2008. Two years after he started working with Dwivedi,Kumar drove a Honda City — it was seized by the police during his arrest.

“He was Dwivedi’s face in the racket. He was in charge of the logistics; he also made and finalised the deals. Whenever Dwivedi was busy giving sermons,Kumar took charge of the racket,” a senior police officer said.

A police team,meanwhile,recovered a rifle and other weapons purportedly belonging to Dwivedi from his residence in Chitrakoot,Uttar Pradesh,after a raid on Friday. Sources said it also came to light during the raid that Dwivedi’s personal bodyguards carried firearms.

“We first need to assess and seize his property. He has many areas within the Capital where he functioned. We need to investigate whether the house owners knew about his operations,” a senior police officer said.

The police are,meanwhile,also probing the allegations made by the father of a Jaipur-based girl who said Dwivedi was behind the abduction of his daughter. The 22-year-old woman is missing since December 23 last year.