IANS
New Delhi
The “hide and seek” game between the Delhi Police and ex-law minister Somnath Bharti continued yesterday with police conducting raids across many places in the city. Police have managed to trace Bharti’s hideout and even recovered his dog from Malviya Nagar in south Delhi.
Police sources said they had traced the Aam Aadmi Party leader’s movements to Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh.
His pet Labrador is now at the centre of a police probe after the animal allegedly attacked Bharti’s wife Lipika Mitra at his behest.
A police official said: “Besides frequently changing his locations, the legislator is also using different mobile phones and sim cards. Bharti has so far (within four days) changed more than six mobile phones and sim cards. The location of his last two sim cards indicated his movements somewhere in Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh.”
Sources in Delhi Police said the ex-minister was changing his locations and was being accompanied by four to five close aides who were arranging safe shelters for him.
“Once Bharti is arrested the people helping him will be prosecuted under the law,” an official warned adding that a separate charge sheet would soon be registered against those who have allegedly been harbouring Bharti.
The official said that Bharti had left Delhi and moved towards Agra on Thursday morning.
“Yesterday morning, a phone belonging to one of Bharti’s friends was used by him and was traced to Haryana. But the phone has now been switched off. His new location might be in western Uttar Pradesh.”
Joint commissioner of police, Deependra Pathak, said Bharti was behaving like a professional criminal and changing his locations frequently.
He said Bharti’s location was somewhere in east Delhi on Wednesday but the next day he was traced to Agra in Uttar Pradesh. However, he managed to evade the police team that had rushed there.
“Our teams are already conducting raids at different locations and he will be arrested soon. He is moving in disguise. He was a law minister and he should join the investigations,” added Pathak.
In the past three days, the police have questioned around 12 people over Bharti’s whereabouts and all of them are under the scanner for allegedly harbouring Bharti, which in itself is a criminal offence, Pathak added.
The people quizzed so far over Bharti’s whereabouts include his brother Loknath Bharti, whose name also figures in the complaint filed by Lipika Mitra, Bharti’s private secretary, and his sister Stuti apart from a few other employees at his office and party workers from Malviya Nagar.
Bharti’s office and residence were raided on Tuesday evening after his anticipatory bail was dismissed by the Delhi High Court. However, he could not be found at either of the two locations.
Somnath Bharti
