Ashish Pandey, son of former BSP MP who was seen brandishing a gun in a video at a five star hotel continues to remain absconding even as Delhi Police officials are in talks with his family members asking him to surrender to the police. The father and the uncle of the accused were questioned as well. A non-bailable warrant has also been issued against him by a Delhi court. Sources say he is likely to surrender by Thursday afternoon.
Investigating officials revealed that every person Pandey contacted post incident, were asked to be available for investigation. Besides them around 50 persons have been questioned both in Delhi and Lucknow. Twelve staff members of the Hyatt hotel were also questioned in order to establish the exact sequence of events.
"Ashish was in touch with 14 people post the incident. Among the 14 questioned was a famous tarot reader based in Delhi, a female friend and one of his other male friends," said a police official.
Ritesh Pandey, Ashish's brother issued a statement and stated that the family has been in a state of shock post the incident. "No case has been registered against Ashish before this. The way the media has portrayed the issue and linked it to the family members is highly shameful. We are co-operating with the police and will continue to do so. Our family has full faith in the judiciary," said Ritesh Pandey, MLA.
Three teams of Delhi Police had earlier reached Lucknow and carried out raids at all his possible hideouts including residence, offices, hotels and guesthouses. Suspecting he might be staying in a hotel or a guest house the police have seized log registers and CCTV footages as well. Two other teams of the Delhi Police have been sent to Lucknow. The police officials are in touch with the family members of the accused in order to make sure he surrenders to the police. Raids are being carried out simultaneously.
Ashish Pandey, son of former Bahujan Samaj Party MP Rakesh Pandey, had pulled out his gun at Hyatt Regency hotel early Sunday to threaten Gaurav Kanwar, son of an ex-Congress MLA. A UP Police officer said Pandey, a realtor from Lucknow, held licences for three firearms, which have now been suspended. Kanwar has said in his statement to Delhi police that Pandey pulled out his gun and shouted, "I will kill you".
Video Went Viral
- A video of the incident had gone viral on social media, triggering a massive public outrage and prompting police to step in a hunt for Pandey
- In the video, Pandey is seen in confrontation with two other guests in the foyer of the hotel. Police obtained a non-bailable warrant against Pandey
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