Three men — Yusuf, Shahabuddin and Suresh — had been shot dead in on February 6 and the names of both the minister and his son had figured in the FIR. The police have already arrested Ravindra and sent him to jail.

The Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Brij Lal said the police decided to exonerate the duo on the basis of disclosure made by Naresh. “He told the police that the murders were committed by three people, including himself. The other two persons are Naresh’s brother-in-law Manoj and one Ravi,” Lal told reporters.

Naresh disclosed that the job of eliminating the trio was entrusted to them by Netrapal, Bhupendra and Brahma, who are associated with a transport company called Nagar Transport, which had a business rivalry with the victims and their Sahara Truck and Tempo company. Lal confirmed all three alleged killers and the conspirators are already in jail.

The ADG also said the incident had been planned in advance. “The three persons named as conspirators in the cas — Netrapal, Bhupendra and Brahma — had tried to create an alibi for themselves. They planned to go to jail before the murders by travelling ticketless in a train on February 1. However, the Train Ticket Examiner could not check the tickets in their coach that day,” said Lal.

He said the three then managed to procure country-made pistols. “On February 4, they deliberately clashed with head constable Chhadami Lal at a police post in Greater Noida and were arrested on the charge of carrying illegal weapons,” the ADG said.

Regarding the reason that led to the incident, Lal said Nagar Transport and Sahara Truck and Tempo were vying for a contract with the Paradise Plastic Factory.