RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, Aug.8: The mastermind behind killing the legal adviser of St Xavier’s College, Manoj Kumar Jha, at Rargaoan village under the Tamar police station area on July 26 was arrested from Bengaluru on August 7.
The breakthrough came on Sunday. S.P. (rural) Naushad Alam confirmed the breakthrough expressing his inability to give details.
“He has been arrested. Details in this regard will be given in a press conference anytime today,” Alam said without giving any certain time.
A police official said that the accused arrested from Bengaluru is Afsar Alam alias Langda.
“This is the fifth arrest in the murder case, which had rocked the legal fraternity across the state. Earlier on August 2, the police arrested four in this connection. After the arrest of Alam, there is every possibility of getting the murder case solved,” the police official added.
Legal adviser Manoj Kumar Jha was shot dead in broad daylight at Tamar, about 70km from Jharkhand capital. The incident took place when Jha sitting in his car was supervising boundary wall construction work around a 14-acre plot of the said college in the area.
The primary investigation suggested that the murder was a fallout of controversy over land ownership.
“The college had purchased the land from the descendants of Sheikh Raja in 2007. After the finalisation of the land deal, a section of villagers challenged the deal. After hearing, the court gave the order in favour of the college. Afsar Alam alias Langda planned to kill the advocate to grab the land and succeeded in killing him. However, further investigation is on the matter as it is hard to digest anyone that someone will kill a legal adviser. Apart from this, it is also being investigated why the legal adviser was sent for supervision of construction of the boundary wall though the role of an advocate in such work is not expected,” a police official said.
