Kazim Ansari, main accused in the murder of former Minister Mukesh Sahani’s father Jitan Sahani. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Kazim Ansari, 40, main accused in the murder of former Minister Mukesh Sahani’s father Jitan Sahani, was arrested on Wednesday by a special investigation team (SIT).
Kazim is son of Shafiq Ansari and a resident of Supaul Bazaar under the Ghanshyampur police station in Darbhanga. He used to run a readymade cloth shop which got closed for a long time due to lack of money and is currently unemployed.
According to Darbhanga Senior Superintendent of Police Jagunath Reddy, Kazim had taken a loan of ₹1.5 lakh in three instalments from Jitan Sahani at 4% monthly interest rate by mortgaging his land. He accepted the crime in his confessional statement that he was not able to repay the money.
On July 12, 2024, Kazim and one of his associates, Mohhammad Sitara alias Chhedi, went to talk to the deceased to settle the loan by reducing the interest amount and return the land papers, on which there was altercation between the two parties. This has been confirmed by Sitara and the deceased’s nephew Pramod Sahani.
However, the plan did not work and Kazim along with some of his associates hatched a plan to forcibly snatch the papers of his loan from Jitan Sahani.
On the night of the incident, Kazim did a recce of Jitan Sahani’s house between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m., which has also been captured in the CCTV footage installed nearby. After ensuring that everyone had left the house, Kazim and his associates entered the house from the back door around 1.30 a.m. on July 16.
The door did not have an inside lock. After entering, the accused woke up Jitan Sahani and threatened him to return his land and loan papers. However, Sahani started abusing them. Kazim got angry and stabbed him with a knife several times. The rest of the people were holding Jitan Sahani’s hands and legs.
After committing the murder, the accused tried to find the key of the almirah having the papers, but it was not found.
Then the accused decided to throw the almirah into water so that all the papers would get destroyed. They threw the wooden almirah in a small pond located behind the house and fled from the spot.
“The clothes worn by accused Kazim at the time of crime have been seized from his house. Although the clothes were washed, the FSL team found traces of blood on it. FSL investigation has also found traces of blood on Kazim’s nails. Investigation is on over the associates mentioned by Kazim, and we will soon arrest them,” Mr. Reddy said.
The SIT team was led by Darbhanga rural Superintendent of Police Kamya Mishra, who cracked the case in less than 24 hours. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had given instructions to Director General of Police Rajwinder Singh Bhatti to find the culprits as soon as possible.
Earlier in the day, Purnia MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav and CPI (ML) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya met Mr. Mukesh Sahani at his village.
Jitan Sahani, 70 was found murdered at his house in Jirat village under the Biraul police station of Darbhanga district of Bihar on July 16, 2024.
