Shimla: Police have arrested two men from Haryana within 40 hours of the murder of Manisha Mittal, the operator of Saraswati Paradise International Public School in Sanjauli's Housing Board Colony. Mittal was shot dead on the evening of June 13, sending shockwaves through the city.
Accused Identified
The accused have been identified as Ashish Ahlawat (22), a resident of Dujana village in Jhajjar district, and Deepak Budhwar (25) from Sunari Khurd village in Rohtak district. Ahlawat already has an extortion case registered against him in Rohtak, while Budhwar faces four criminal cases, including two under the Arms Act, one for extortion, and another for voluntarily causing hurt.
Police Investigation
Addressing the media, ASP (headquarters) Abhishek said police have recovered the two pistols used in the murder. The accused came from Haryana to Shimla in a white Swift car bearing a fake Himachal Pradesh registration plate (HP-10 series). To evade detection, they wore masks and used link roads during their escape back to Haryana. The ASP said both men have confessed to the crime and will be produced before a local court on Tuesday.
Motive Behind the Crime
He described the killing as a "very personal incident" stemming from a long-standing property dispute and personal enmity involving the deceased and her brother, emphasising that it was not a random crime targeting society at large. He added that the investigation is ongoing to establish the full sequence of events and identify any other accomplices.
Previous Complaints
According to the police officer, the deceased had previously filed multiple complaints against her brother. However, these were civil in nature, involving disputes over register entries and the use of forged signatures. In one instance, following a physical altercation between the siblings, the police took preventive action by filing a ‘kalandra' (preventive police report) and submitting it to the court.
Ongoing Investigation
So far, investigators have questioned 15 to 20 people, including the victim's husband and brother in Haryana. Meanwhile, the police have assured adequate security for the school as the investigation progresses.
