Ranchi, April 10 (IANS) The Ranchi Police have successfully solved the murder case of BJP leader Anil Mahato, also known as Anil Tiger, and have arrested four persons in connection with the case including the absconding shooter Aman, an official said. The investigation revealed that the murder was linked to a land dispute.

Ranchi DIG cum SSP Chandan Sinha held a press conference here on Thursday evening, revealing that a conspiracy to assassinate him was orchestrated by land dealer Devvrat Nath Shahdev, a resident of Kishore Ganj, Ranchi.

“Shahdev had a dispute with BJP leader Anil Tiger over the ownership of 10 acres of land in Gagi Khatanga village, under the Kanke police station area,” he said.

According to police, the investigation uncovered the involvement of seven individuals in the conspiracy -- Devvrat Nath Shahdev, Abhishek Sinha, Rohit Verma, Aman Singh, Zeeshan Akhtar, Manish Chaurasia, and Ajay Kumar Rajak.

Among them, four persons -- Aman Singh, Manish Chaurasia, Zeeshan Akhtar, and Ajay Kumar -- have been arrested.

Anil Tiger was shot dead in broad daylight on March 26 around 4 p.m. while sitting inside a hotel at Kanke Chowk in Ranchi.

The killing sent shockwaves across the city, triggering widespread outrage. In protest, several political and social organisations called for a shutdown of Ranchi on March 27, which saw significant public response.

Following the murder, one of the two assailants, Rohit Verma, was arrested after a police encounter. However, his accomplice, Aman, had managed to flee and remained on the run for two weeks.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT), formed to probe the high-profile case, apprehended Aman with the help of the police technical cell.

Apart from Aman, two other individuals have been arrested for conducting a recce of the BJP leader and aiding the conspiracy. Raids were carried out at multiple locations to nab the suspects.

The police are also interrogating Sunny Singh, a known criminal from Kishore Ganj, Ranchi, who is currently in custody on remand.

Initially, Rohit Verma claimed during questioning that the murder was an act of revenge for the killing of criminal Santosh Jaiswal in Lohardaga district, allegedly carried out at Anil Tiger's behest.

However, police have since found this to be a deliberate attempt to mislead the investigation.

According to the police, fresh evidence now points to a property dispute as the actual motive, with a land dealer believed to be the mastermind behind the assassination.