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17 months on, HP woman in net for murder bid on city trader
30-year-old had hired assailants for ₹30,000 in connivance with lover
Over 17 months after a 73-year-old trader was shot at in Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar here, police claimed to have solved the case with the arrest of a 30-year-old woman.
Police said the accused, Muskan alias Surinder Kumari, who hails from Himachal Pradesh, along with her paramour and gangster Sukhvir Singh alias Sukha of Rurka Kalan of Jalandhar, had hired assailants to shoot at Kuldeep Singh, brother of the victim, Tarlochan Singh.
However, on June 20, 2018, the assailants had turned up at Chaddha Store on Kalgidhar Road in a Maruti Suzuki Swift car, and shot at Tarlochan after confusing him with Kuldeep, and fled. The Division Number 2 police had lodged FIR against the accused for attempt to murder.
Police said Muskan was earlier an executive with a beauty product manufacturing company, of which Kuldeep and Tarlochan Singh had distributorship.
Additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP, City 1) Gurpreet Singh Sikand said, “Muskan was a regular visitor to the shop. She had promised the brothers that she will sell their material approaching expiry date in the market. She took such material worth ₹15 lakh, but did not give them the money, following which Kuldeep had started pressuring her.”
“Muskan told Sukhvir about it, following which he hired the assailants, identified as Sudhant Sehgal of Model Town of Jalandhar, Rajinder Kumar alias Mota of Rurka Kalan, Avrinder Singh alias Sonu of Goraya Kalan of Jalandhar and Sooraj Kumar alias Monu, for ₹30,000 and told them to shoot Kuldeep in the leg,” Sikand said, adding Kuldeep was aware that he was the target, and was suspecting sons of his brother-in-law for the crime.
“As we had no evidence against the suspects, we did not arrest them, but during investigation we came to know that the Adampur police of Jalandhar had arrested Sudhant and Ravinder for possessing an illegal pistol on September 22. The accused during questioning admitted that they had shot at a man in Ludhiana. Following the information provided by the accused, we brought them on production warrant for questioning on October 7,” said the ADCP.
“Sukha had told the assailants that he wanted to teach Kuldeep a lesson, but did not tell them the reason behind the rivalry. The police zeroed in on Muskan and arrested her near the civil hospital late on Sunday,” the ADCP said.
Through the CCTV footage, the police had traced the registration number of the car used in the crime and found that the assailants had installed number plate of a scooter on it.
Muskan was produced before the court on Monday and remanded in two-day police custody. Police said a hunt is on for the arrest of the gangster and remaining assailants.
Police said Muskan was ambitious and wanted to earn money by any means possible. Police said she had been living with Sukhvir since April 2018.
“Muskan had divorced her first husband and solemnised a second marriage from which she has a five-year-old son. Meanwhile, she started living with Sukhvir after telling her husband that she was moving to Qatar (UAE),” Sikand said.
“Muskan had solemnised marriage with Sukha after lying to him that she had divorced her husband. She also remained well in contact with her husband over the phone,” Sikand said.
