Ajmer blast mastermind Joshi was killed by his own men: MP police

The MP police said Solanki,who was in their custody for nearly two weeks,had confessed to the murder. Vasudev Parmar,a resident of Dewas,and Anand Raj Kataria,a resident of Indore,were also arrested by the police for hatching a conspiracy to kill Joshi,while three other accused are still missing.

Solanki was remanded in judicial custody till December 30 because the police did not seek further remand,while Parmar and Kataria were remanded in police custody till December 24.

Investigating Officer Vinod Kushwaha told The Indian Express that Solanki was upset with Joshi because he would often hurl invectives at him,often calling him good for nothing and occasionally kutta (dog). “They were fed up of the constant ill-treatment and wanted to eliminate him but were not getting a chance,” Kushwaha said.

Joshi,who was also wanted in connection with the murder of a Congress leader,was living incognito in the town. Four accused in Vadodara’s Best Bakery riot case,Solanki,Ramesh Gohil,Mahesh Gohil and Jayantibhai Gohil also lived with Joshi in a small room in Dewas for more than a year. While Joshi,who sported a long beard,was known as Guruji in the locality,the four assumed false identities as Raj,Mohan,Mehul and Jayanti Ustad respectively. Since all were wanted criminals,they maintained a low profile,avoiding the local people.

On the day of murder,Joshi had gone to his mother’s place but got a call on his mobile that his accomplices were waiting for him in the room. According to Kushwah,Joshi’s motor-cycle developed a snag and he was going on foot when his accomplices came on a two-wheeler and shot him dead.

The police claimed the mobile phones used by Joshi and Mehul had been seized but not the weapon which has passed hands. The police said the accused stayed in various towns of Gujarat after committing the murder.

Joshi delegated responsibilities to all the co-accused in a secret meet at Jaipur,and is the man who recced,and planted the bomb at Ajmer and Mecca Masjid. The MP Police had been criticised by their counterparts in Maharashtra and Rajasthan for not cooperating in the terror cases involving Hindu extremists. The MP Police had made no progress in the Joshi murder case with police officials admitting to political pressure.