Three persons — Yusuf, Pappu and Suresh — were shot dead in Gautam Budha Nagar district on February 6. The names of the minister and his son had figured in the FIR. Ravindra had already been arrested and sent to jail.

Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Brij Lal said the police decided to give clean chit to the duo after interrogation of the arrested Naresh revealed the names of the culprits.

“Naresh disclosed that the murder was committed by three persons, including him. Among the other two are his brother-in-law Manoj and one Ravi,” ADG Lal told mediapersons.

According to him, Naresh claimed the crime was committed at the behest of three persons - Netrapal, Bhupendra and Brahma - who are associated with Nagar Transport, a business rival of the company the victims worked for.

Interestingly, the three alleged killers and the conspirators are already in jail.

Lal said the incident was planned well in advance. “The three conspirators had tried to get themselves arrested and sent to jail before the murders by travelling in a train without tickets,” said ADG Lal. However, he added that the TTE (Train Ticket Examiner) did not examine tickets in the coach that day. added.

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

On the motive behind the murders, the ADG said two transport companies — Nagar Transport and Sahara Truck and Tempo — were eying the contract for Paradise Plastic Factory.

The victims were associated with Sahara Truck and Tempo, said the ADG.