E-Paper
Burail murder: Bishnoi arranged assailants’ stay at hotel
Hotelier Dharminder Singh confesses to have helped the gangster.
A 28-year-old hotelier has confessed to have helped the assailants, who murdered Sonu Shah, on the directions of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, currently lodged in the Jodhpur jail, police said on Thursday.
Dharminder Singh, a native of Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh, owns and manages DK Palace hotel in Burail village where Shah, a property dealer, was shot dead on September 28.
Crime branch officials arrested Dharminder from Khudda Lahora on Wednesday night. Currently living in Nayagoan, Dharminder was arrested with an illegal countrymade pistol and seven live cartridges. A history sheeter, he is already facing cases of murder, rioting and causing hurt, registered at the Sector 34 and 36 police stations, respectively.
He has been booked in a fresh Arms Act case at the Sector-11 station.
“Dharminder disclosed that he got a call from Lawrence, already an acquaintance, that his men will come to Chandigarh, and Dharminder should make arrangements for their stay,” said Rajiv Ambasta, deputy superintendent of police (DSP), crime.
He said they were investigating whether the call was made over WhatApp, and where the assailants arrived from.
On Lawrence’s directions, Dharminder asked his friend, Chandan, to book a room using his identity at Hotel King Palace in Sector 80, Mohali. He also conducted a reccee with the assailants in Burail before the murderous attack.
Investigators had earlier stated it was Shah’s heated argument with gangster Sampat Nehra during a WhatsApp call that led to the attack. The bone of contention was a plot of land in Zirakpur where a dhabha is operating.
In the suspected gang-related violence, Shah, who also had a criminal record, was shot dead at his office, while two of his aides, Joginder Singh ‘Pehalwan’ and Palwinder Singh ‘Romi’, were critically injured.
Shah sustained 10 bullet injuries in various parts of his body. A total of 14 empty cartridges were recovered from the spot. These had been fired from .32 bore and .30 bore pistols.
The four assailants had fled in a white Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire car after the crime.
The court of Saloni Gupta, civil judge (junior division), sent Dharminder to four-day police remand on Thursday.
The police had asked for a five-day remand, stating that they were working to recover a desi katta (pistol), which was used in the crime, and was handed over by Dharminder by a man named Ravi.
