The police on Friday arrested an autorickshaw driver for the murder of his friend, who succumbed to injuries at a hospital here.
The accused has been identified as Sandeep Singh Gopi (40) of Mahadev Nagar in Dhandhari, while his accomplice Murgi is on the run.
As per the police, Sandeep and his accomplice thrashed Manoj Singh Bhardwaj (45) of Mahadev Nagar following a dispute over ₹3,000 and left him at an isolated place considering him dead. However, Manoj gained consciousness after a while and with great difficulty reached a nearby clinic for medical aid. From there, he was rushed to the civil hospital, where died during treatment.
The victim is survived by three children and wife Anu Devi, who told the police Manoj used to work in a factory in Ludhiana for the past several years. On July 20, he met Sandeep on his way back home and went to his house where Murgi also arrived. The accused duo beat him up and fled, she said.
“Before his death on July 22, my husband told me that Sandeep was asking him for money to buy drugs. When he refused, both Sandeep and Murgo thrashed him,” said Anu Devi.
{{/usCountry}}“Before his death on July 22, my husband told me that Sandeep was asking him for money to buy drugs. When he refused, both Sandeep and Murgo thrashed him,” said Anu Devi.
{{/usCountry}}Sahnewal SHO inspector Inderjit Singh said Manoj had suffered internal injuries. He died on the night of July 22. The police received his autopsy report on Friday, based on which a murder case was registered against the accused, the SHO said, adding that a hunt was on to arrest Murgi.