The assailants of Hindu leader Kamlesh Tiwari have been identified by the Uttar Pradesh police, said the Director-General of Police OP Singh.
Blood-Stained saffron kurtas, a towel used by the killers, a bag with a shaving kit and a mobile phone were seized by the police from a room at Hotel Khalsa Inn in Naka Hindola area.
The assailants, Moinuddin Pathan and Ashfaq Hussain, had checked into the hotel at 10 pm on October 18 using their original IDs and checked out the same day at 1.30 pm, an hour after killing Tiwari.
"We are sending the kurtas and the towel for forensic examination to ascertain whether the blood on the clothes is of Kamlesh Tiwari. The SIT is interrogating the hotel staff," the DGP told reporters.
The assailants had come to Lucknow from Kanpur by road on Thursday and left the state capital the next day. Their location was traced to Hardoi, Bareilly and then Ghaziabad on the same day, according to investigating officers.
The DGP said it was clear that the assailants did not wish to hide their identities and left clues all along.
"They brought sweets from Surat and left the bill with it which helped us trace them through the CCTV footage of the sweet shop," he said.
The DGP said the police would make all possible efforts to arrest the accused at the earliest.
Meanwhile, the family of the deceased leader met Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday with a charter of demands.
The family has sought strict punishment for the killers, security and arms licenses for all the family members, adequate compensation for the family, a government job for Satyam Tiwari, the eldest son of the deceased, and also a house for the family.
They also demanded installation of Kamlesh Tiwari's statue in Lucknow and renaming of Khurshid Bagh as Kamlesh Bagh.
In a related development, a local Shiv Sena leader, Arun Pathak has announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for anyone who beheads Tiwari's killers. In a video message, Pathak said that merely arresting the assailants was not enough. "I will sell my property and all my assets. If I fall short of money, I will seek donations from Hindus to reward Rs 1 lakh to anyone who beheads the killers," he is heard as saying.
The chief minister offered condolences to the family and assured that justice would be done to them.
(With inputs from IANS.)
