Self-styled godman Machhendra Nath, or Pratibanand, was arrested in Ghaziabad on Friday for allegedly being involved in the murder of Bahujan Samaj Party leader Deepak Bhardwaj.
The accused has been on the run for more than four years after Bhardwaj’s murder, the police said. Bhardwaj was shot dead in his farmhouse near the Gurugram toll plaza on March 26, 2013, IANS reported. Others who have been arrested in the case include Bhardwaj’s son Nitesh Kumar, The Times of India reported. Kumar is believed to have planned his father’s murder.
Bhardwaj had contested the General Elections in 2009 on a BSP ticket and was the wealthiest Lok Sabha candidate in Delhi, according to IANS.
The Haryana Police have had to deal with the fallout of the arrest of another self-styled godman, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. On August 28, Singh was sentenced to 20 years in prison for raping two of his followers.
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