Yadav is also wanted by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation that has accused him of plotting an unsuccessful attempt to murder Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
People in the know of the Delhi case said proceedings under Section 207 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which mandates supplying to the accused a copy of certain documents relied upon by the prosecution, were nearing completion.
Seven of the ten witnesses cited by the Delhi Police in its charge sheet filed against Yadav and co-accused Abdullah Khan are police officers of a special cell. The other three are a judicial magistrate, the complainant and a friend of the complainant who is listed as an eyewitness.
The police in the charge sheet filed on March 13 said they could not recover the weapon (a pistol) that Khan allegedly used to intimidate the complainant.
Neither could the police retrieve the CCTV footage of the cafe, owned by the complainant, from where Rs 50,000 was allegedly taken away. The police claim to have recovered only one gold chain and a ring that Khan had allegedly taken away from the complainant.ET reviewed a copy of the charge sheet. The statement recorded by complainant Raj Kumar Walia and the “disclosures” made by Yadav and Khan (which are inadmissible in law) to the police seem to have inconsistencies.According to the charge sheet, the complainant alleged that Yadav and Khan kidnapped and intimidated him, and demanded Rs 20 lakh at the instance of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.
Walia was taken to the second floor of a flat near Delhi’s Defence Colony on December 11, 2023 where two people with masks appeared with pistols in their hands, according to the statement. Walia claimed that he was told by Yadav that these people were “sharp shooters of Lawrence Bishnoi”.
While the claims of the complainant in his statement were almost similarly mentioned in the “disclosures” of the accused as per the charge sheet, both Yadav and Khan’s disclosures find no mention of Bishnoi and his “sharp shooters”.
Instead, Yadav said in his statement that he “planned to loot” Walia in cahoots with Khan. The motive behind committing the alleged crime by Yadav is conspicuous by its absence in the charge sheet
On the other hand, Khan, who is allegedly known to Yadav, in his “disclosure” told the police that it was he who needed money since his business (of sale purchase of vehicles) was down. According to the charge sheet, Khan disclosed during questioning that he reached out to Yadav with the plan to loot Walia. The co-accused claimed that Yadav told him about meeting Walia in November 2023 at a social gathering and about his business dealings with foreigners and friends in West Asia.
Neither Yadav nor Khan’s disclosure finds mention of extorting money at the instance of gangster Bishnoi as alleged by the complainant or the presence of the “sharp shooters” at the flat.
As per the charge sheet, Walia was allegedly told that the hit job was given to gangster Bishnoi by a Dubai-based person named Jalaluddin alias Sameer. Walia claims that Jalaluddin owed him money.
Again, the disclosures of Yadav and Khan do not mention the name of Jalaluddin. The police, in its charge sheet, said the identify of Jalaluddin was being established and after that a look-out circular would be opened and filed before the court through a supplementary chargesheet.
The police claimed that they have gathered “sufficient evidences” against Yadav and Khan. However, they also submitted that during custodial interrogation, the duo “did not cooperate fully due to which the weapon of offence was not recovered”.
As regards CCTV footage, the police said the DVR installed at the complainant’s cafe was taken away by some people. On the purchase receipts of “robbed” jewellery, the complainant told the police that those were gifted to him by his family and friends and that he had “no bills available with him”.
Walia alleged that Yadav, who he got in touch with in November, called him on December 11 near the NIA office saying that Walia’s life was in danger. The Delhi Police in its March 13 charge sheet named only two accused, Yadav and Khan. According to Yadav’s counsel, no supplementary charge sheet has been filed so far.
Lawyer on FBI claims
Speaking to ET, Yadav’s counsel RK Handoo said Yadav was “shocked” to learn about the allegations levelled against him by the US authorities pertaining to the alleged assassination attempt on Pannun.
“I don’t believe a word of what the FBI is claiming. The allegations levelled against him are wild and completely false. My client is innocent. The allegations levelled against my client are disproportionate to his personality. He hails from a village and is a thorough gentleman” Handoo told ET.
He added: “Just because the FBI is making accusations, it is being given weightage. This is a political conspiracy against our country. It is a clear design to target our country’s institutions through individuals.”
