3 shooters arrested in Shivpuri lawyer murder; one injured in encounter

Bhopal: Three persons allegedly involved in the murder of advocate Sanjay Saxena, 57, in Shivpuri's Karaira town have been arrested following a brief encounter with police late Saturday night. The key accused sustained two bullet injuries in what police described as defensive firing.The arrested accused have been identified as Golu Rawat (25), a resident of Ghugsi in Barauni, Papendra Rawat (23), a resident of Chandpur in Dabra, and Zaheer Muslim (24), also from Ghugsi in Barauni.According to police, Golu Rawat allegedly shot Saxena in the back with a pistol on Saturday while the lawyer was on his way to court on his motorcycle.Police said special teams were formed immediately after the murder to trace the accused. Raids were conducted at several locations based on inputs.On Sunday morning, police received information that the accused were hiding near Chirli Tiraha under Karaira police station limits. When a police team reached the spot, Papendra Rawat allegedly opened fire on the officers. In retaliation, police fired, and Papendra sustained two bullet injuries in his leg. He was taken to hospital for treatment. The other two accused were arrested at the scene.Police said that on Saturday evening, a case of murder was registered against teacher Kamlesh Sharma, his uncle Sunil Sharma, who is a sarpanch, Neeraj Sharma and associate Ashish Parihar in connection with the killing.Police said they are examining the role of each accused in the murder. Preliminary investigation indicates that the killing may be linked to land disputes in which Saxena had been representing clients. The family had earlier alleged that the murder was the result of an ongoing land dispute and election rivalry.Officials said investigators are also looking into the financial aspect of the conspiracy, including whether money was paid to carry out the murder. The arrested accused are being questioned, and efforts are on to trace other possible suspects.