Shimla, March 24 A property dealer and contractor has been identified as the main conspirator behind an attempted kidnapping and robbery targeting the son of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu's media advisor, police said on Tuesday.
The accused, Manish Verma alias Manu (46), a resident of Jagheri village in Theog subdivision of Shimla district and currently residing in Bhattakufar in Shimla, has been arrested. Around 10 live cartridges were also recovered from his possession.
Police said that on March 20, several unidentified individuals tried to kidnap Aaryan Chauhan, son of Naresh Chauhan, who is also the general secretary of Himachal Pradesh Youth Congress, near Tarapur village, about 10 kilometres from Shimla.
However, the attempt failed as Chauhan managed to escape.
A case was registered on the basis of a complaint filed by Chauhan, following which the police initiated an investigation.
On March 23, police arrested two accused, Charanjeet Singh and Tashi Negi, for their involvement in the crime. Further investigation led to the arrest of Manish Verma, who turned out to be the mastermind behind the kidnapping.
Police said Verma had hatched the entire plan, monitoring Chauhan's movements and daily routine before orchestrating the kidnapping attempt with his associates.
Police records show that Verma has multiple cases registered against him, including a case under the NDPS Act in 2006 when he was arrested in Dhalli with 830 grams of hashish; a 2009 case in Theog involving the tying up of a watchman and theft of timber; and a 2021 case in the Deha region related to kidnapping and assault.