New delhi, Feb. 2 -- The Delhi Police on Monday claimed it had foiled a conspiracy of a targeted killing of a key prosecution witness, allegedly hatched inside Mandoli Jail, and arrested four persons in this connection.

The alleged mastermind Irfan alias Chhenu Pehalwan, an incarcerated gangster, and his three associates -- Adeeb (22), Farman and Usman -- have been arrested, police said.

"The plot was uncovered following secret information about a plan to eliminate a crucial witness in a pending case. Acting on the input, police conducted a raid in Shastri Park on the night of January 24," a senior officer said.

Adeeb, a resident of Chauhan Banger, was arrested during the operation. A semi-automatic pistol and five live cartridges were recovered from his possession, and a case under the Arms Act was registered, police said.

During interrogation, Adeeb allegedly disclosed that the weapon had been procured for a murder ordered by Irfan alias Chhenu Pehalwan, currently lodged in Mandoli Jail.

He also named his associates Farman and Aamir, who were allegedly roped into the conspiracy, police said.

The investigation revealed that funds for the planned attack were routed through a tea stall in Seelampur. Usman, an associate of Irfan, allegedly delivered the money to the tea stall owner for distribution to the shooters, police said.

Based on the disclosures, Farman was arrested on January 26, and Usman on January 27.

Irfan alias Chhenu Pehalwan was formally arrested in the case on January 28. In view of the organised nature of the alleged crime, sections 55 (abetment of offence) and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita have been

invoked, police said.

Police said Irfan, a resident of Seelampur, has been involved in criminal activities since the early 2000s and faces multiple cases of murder, extortion, robbery and criminal conspiracy. In 2023, he was also arraigned by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in a terror-gangster-drug nexus case, officials added.

Further investigation is underway to identify the intended target, trace the source of the illegal weapon and apprehend other associates linked to the conspiracy.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.