A year-old murder case in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, has been reopened after a hired killer, who was recently released on bail, approached the police with a complaint about not being paid for his role in the crime. Neeraj Sharma, the contract killer, claims he was promised ₹20 lakh to murder lawyer Anjali Garg in 2023. However, he says the conspirators never paid him the full amount and has now asked the police to take action.
The Murder of Anjali Garg
Anjali Garg, a 35-year-old lawyer from Umesh Vihar Colony in Meerut, was shot dead on June 7, 2023, while returning home from a local dairy. Two attackers fired at her as she walked home. Initially, the police suspected that her ex-husband, Nitin Gupta, and her in-laws might be involved, as they were in a property dispute with Anjali.At first, the police took Anjali’s ex-husband and in-laws into custody, but they were later released when no direct evidence linking them to the murder was found.
Property Dispute Behind the Murder
Anjali had been living in a house owned by her ex-husband, Nitin Gupta. After their divorce, the property was sold to two men, Yashpal and Suresh Bhatia. Anjali refused to vacate the house, which led to a property dispute. This conflict seemed like a possible motive for the murder.
But as the investigation progressed, the police discovered that the murder was actually a contract killing. The property buyers, Yashpal and Suresh Bhatia, had hired Neeraj Sharma, a contract killer, to kill Anjali. Sharma was promised ₹2 lakh for the murder, and two others were involved in carrying out the shooting.
Five people, including Yashpal, Suresh Bhatia, Neeraj Sharma, and the two men who shot Anjali, were arrested soon after the murder. The case appeared to be solved until new developments came to light more than a year later.
Hired Killer Demands Unpaid Fee
Neeraj Sharma, who was granted bail after being arrested, has now made a shocking claim: he was promised ₹20 lakh by the conspirators, not just ₹2 lakh. Sharma says that the property buyers, Yashpal and Suresh Bhatia, had arranged to pay him ₹20 lakh for killing Anjali. He received an advance of ₹1 lakh, but after he was arrested, he couldn’t collect the remaining ₹19 lakh.
Evidence and Call Recordings
Sharma’s complaint has raised new questions about the role of Anjali’s family in the killing. The police are examining the call recordings provided by Sharma, which could potentially show that her in-laws were involved in arranging the contract killing. The police are taking this new angle seriously and are now considering further action.
