E-Kantipur

KATHMANDU, FEB 09 -

A year on, the mystery of media entrepreneur Jamim Shah’s murder in Lazimpat of the Capital is still unsolved. Motorcycle-borne armed assailants shot Shah dead in broad daylight on Feb. 7, 2010. Though police concluded it was masterminded by India-based gangster Babloo Shrivastava — who is doing time there— and his associates including Sub-Inspector Prakash Chhetri were arrested, the larger motive remains unsolved.

Police say failure to nab Shrivastava’s key aides, including former DSP Jagdish Chand and Deepak Shahi Babbu prevents them from verifying the crime motive. The probe ascertained that Babbu in collusion with former DSP Chand and Nepali criminals killed Shah at Shrivastava’s behest. Police nabbed suspects, including SI Chhetri, Kishor Khadka and Laxman Dhamala, but their interrogation has revealed little. DIG Rajendra Singh Bhandari, who investigated Shah’s murder, says the case was partially resolved but key suspects are still evading arrest. Police could not arrest suspect Shri Krishna Poudel. Of late, Interpol has issued an arrest warrant against Chand who was in the know of the murder plan and in close contact with Shrivastava — the man behind the murder of sitting lawmaker Mirza Dilshad Beg in Kathmandu in 1998. The hired hitman gave the murder weapon to Chand for safekeeping.

There was speculation especially in Indian media that Shah was killed by Indians for his alleged nexus with Pakistan-based underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and intelligence agency ISI, but there was no evidence to corroborate it.

There is a report that highlight’s Shah’s purportedly ‘shady background’ but doesn’t elaborate the murder motive. Yet to be made public, it has urged the Ministry of Home Affairs to strengthen Nepal Police’s intelligence — to no avail. Failure to follow up crime is attributed to the lack of specialised manpower and funds. Police were blamed for the sloppy search for criminals. Key suspects Chand and Poudel, who stayed for days here after the murder, had ample time to sneak off to India through the porous border.  Sleuths say their main target was Yunus Ansari whom the police arrested with contraband drugs and fake currency in the first week of last January.

Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police will reopen the case after forming a separate CIB team.

Posted on: 2011-02-09 08:49

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