Additional district and sessions judge Anshu Shukla on Wednesday framed charges of murder and criminal conspiracy against four persons, including a city-based financier Ram Lal and his daughter, for the murder of his son’s girlfriend, 27-year-old model Puneet Sandhu.
Puneet, girlfriend of Amit Chaudhary, was shot at thrice from point blank range at the couple’s house in Sector 49 on October 16, 2014. She was later found lying in a pool of blood by Amit.
Following the crime, police had arrested Amit’s sister Anju (main conspirator), her friend Supreet, 24, Anju’s father Ram Lal, and Manpreet Singh alias Lali, who had allegedly provided the weapon to the killers.
The court framed charges under sections 302 (murder) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal code. The trial will begin on May 1.
The complainant in the case is Puneet’s sister, Avneet Sandhu. In her complaint to the police, she had stated that Amit, a resident of Sector 47, was married and had two children. Yet, he was in a live-in relationship with Puneet, and lived with her in a rented accommodation in Sector 49, Chandigarh.
She had alleged that Amit had promised to marry her sister after divorcing his wife. He also wanted to move Puneet into his parents’ house in Sector 47, bringing him and his kin at loggerheads. Believing Puneet to be the reason behind the discord in his son’s marriage, Ram Lal had threatened to eliminate her, if she didn’t leave him, Avneet had alleged.
{{/usCountry}}She had alleged that Amit had promised to marry her sister after divorcing his wife. He also wanted to move Puneet into his parents’ house in Sector 47, bringing him and his kin at loggerheads. Believing Puneet to be the reason behind the discord in his son’s marriage, Ram Lal had threatened to eliminate her, if she didn’t leave him, Avneet had alleged.
{{/usCountry}}On October 16, 2014, Amit was out to fetch dinner, and on his return, found Puneet lying in a pool of blood, following which he sounded the police.
During the course of investigation, police found that Amit’s sister Anju, a resident of Sector 4, Mansa Devi Complex, Panchkula, hatched the conspiracy to eliminate Puneet in connivance with her friend Supreet. For the plan, she sourced a weapon from accused Manpreet Singh alias Lali for which her father Ram Lal paid.
Police found that after the murder, Supreet visited Anju at her Mansa Devi house and also made several calls to her.
During sustained interrogation, Supreet and Anju eventually confessed to the crime, and a country-made pistol used to murder Puneet was recovered from his house.
BOYFRIEND WITNESS IN CASE
UT police had made Amit, a witness in the case, as he was the one to call the police after finding Puneet dead in her house.