PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE /Dehradun
The Rajpur police arrested a notorious sharpshooter on Tuesday from western Uttar Pradesh in connection with the murder of a businessman in the Rajpur area last year. The accused, identified as Rajan alias Jackie, was arrested from Muzaffarnagar, police said.
The police informed on Thursday that the accused is a known ‘supari killer’ and has more than 18 criminal cases registered against him in different districts of Uttar Pradesh, including cases of murder, gangster activities and robbery.
The murder took place on May 26, 2025, when Ajay Bhatia was found dead at his residence in Krishna Vihar, Jakhan area of Dehradun. The victim’s nephew Jatin Kumar lodged a complaint at Rajpur police station, after which a case was registered and investigation started.
During investigation, police used CCTV footage, mobile surveillance and informer inputs to trace the accused. Rajan was detained in Muzaffarnagar and brought to Dehradun for questioning. During interrogation, he allegedly confessed to killing Bhatia by strangling him with a scarf.
Police said that the murder was planned due to a property dispute. Dehradun senior superintendent of police Pramendra Dobal said that the victim’s stepbrother Amit had allegedly hired the accused to kill Bhatia in exchange for money and a share in the property. “The accused took help from his girlfriend Himani alias Joya in carrying out the crime,” Dobal said.
According to the police, Amit was upset over property issues and believed that Bhatia was not giving him his rightful share. The accused and his associates allegedly came to Dehradun after planning the murder in Saharanpur. On the night of the incident, they reached Bhatia’s house in Jakhan. Police have also arrested Amit and Himani in the case. “The accused strangled Bhatia when he was alone and later tried to make the murder look like a natural death,” SSP added.
