Hardeep used backup gun to kill Ponty Chadha: cop
The questioning of SS Namdhari and his PSO Sachin Tyagi has helped police piece together the sequence of events that led to the shootout on November 17 that left liquor baron Ponty Chadha and his brother Hardeep Singh dead, reports Faizan Haider.
The questioning of Sukhdev Singh Namdhari and his personal security officer Sachin Tyagi has helped police piece together the sequence of events that led to the shootout on November 17 that left liquor baron Ponty Chadha and his brother Hardeep Singh dead.
Based on the duo's statements, the police have come to the conclusion that a desperate Hardeep allegedly had used two guns to kill his brother.
"We had found two guns near Hardeep's body. It was, however, not clear how he had used both guns at the same time," a police officer, requesting anonymity, said.
"It has now emerged that Hardeep fired at Ponty using his .30-bore pistol, but its magazine came off and he threw it away. He then took out his .32 bore pistol and shot at his brother. He did not use the guns simultaneously," the officer added.
The officer insisted that the gun's magazine had come off and that it had not been damaged.
"The magazine was found later. It was established that the magazine fell after a snag," he added.
Namdhari and Tyagi then allegedly targeted Hardeep who ran towards the farmhouse to save himself. This is the reason why his body was found in the guard room and not at the spot where the shootout had taken place.
Sources said Hardeep's life could have been saved had he received medical help immediately.
"Namdhari and Tyagi rushed Ponty to hospital while Hardeep lay at the farmhouse. He did not get immediate medical help," the officer added.
Two bullets hit Hardeep, of which one punctured his lung. The police said there was no external bleeding and both the bullets pierced his body.
"Both Namdhari and Tyagi have confessed to have fired three bullets each. Investigations show Hardeep was killed by Namdhari's bullet," he said.
The police hope that the findings of the questioning will be corroborated by those of the ballistic reports.
"So far, the investigation has been dependent on statements and post-mortems. The ballistic reports will help prove our theory," he said.
The police are trying to speak to the family members of Ponty and Hardeep. They have not spoken to the investigators yet.