Ghazipur, June 16 (IANS) Two more arrests have been made in the murder of a hotelier’s son in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur, police said on Tuesday.

Vineet Rai, the 29-year-old son of hotelier Alok Rai, was shot dead by four masked men in the Kotwali Police Station area of Ghazipur last month.

One of the accused, identified as Kamlesh Bind, who carried a bounty of Rs 1,00,000 on his head, was earlier killed in police action, while the key accused, Shankar Pandey, is still absconding.

Apart from those named, a case had also been registered against several unidentified persons. Acting on the matter, the Kotwali police arrested two accused in connection with the alleged murder and sent them to jail.

Additional Superintendent of Police (City) Rakesh Mishra said: “Regarding the Vineet Rai murder case, Kamlesh Bind, who carried a reward of Rs 1 lakh, had already been killed in a police encounter. In connection with the same murder case, Kotwali Police arrested two of the previously unidentified accused — Shivam Dubey and Rehman Ali alias Golden.”

He said that both the accused were taken into custody and sent to jail after legal proceedings.

“Based on evidence, it has been revealed that both the accused were present as well as involved in the crime,” Mishra said.

According to officials, the two were arrested near the Chaukia Mod overbridge in Ghazipur.

In a previous interaction with IANS, the victim’s father blamed the police inaction against an alleged extortion racket for the incident, alleging that members of the police force are in “nexus” with the gang members. He demanded encounter and bulldozer action against the accused.

According to the investigators, the prime suspect is associated with the alleged “Katra Gang”.

Rai had said that the family does not have any personal enmity with anyone.

“He (the accused) is a criminal type of a person and operates a gang named ‘Katra gang’. His house is located 100 metres north of our hotel, and right behind the hotel is the house of the village Head (Pradhan), whose brother also leads this gang,” Rai told IANS.

—IANS

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