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3 held in Bikaner for harbouring killers of Abohar businessman
The accused provided shelter and arranged financial support for Sanjay Verma’s shooters, who are on the run since the July 7 murder.
In a significant breakthrough in the Sanjay Verma murder case in Abohar, police on Friday arrested three youngsters in neighbouring Rajasthan’s Bikaner district for allegedly providing shelter and assistance to the three assailants who shot the businessman dead in broad daylight on July 7.
Fazilka senior superintendent of police (SSP) Gurmeet Singh said the arrests were made in coordination with the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF).
The accused have been identified as Inderpal Bishnoi, 26, Sandeep Khichad, 28, and Pawan Khichad, 24, all residents of Kuchor village under Jagrassar police station jurisdiction in Bikaner district.
“The trio provided shelter to the shooters and actively helped them evade arrest. They arranged financial and logistical support for the fugitives. One of the accused is known to operate a paying guest (PG) accommodation where the shooters stayed while on the run,” the SSP said.
The prime accused, Shakti Kumar of Azimgarh area in Abohar, along with two accomplices, remains at large. Efforts are underway to catch them.
“The three youngsters arrested in Rajasthan will be produced before a court to seek police remand for further interrogation,” Gurmeet Singh said, adding the motive of killing Verma would only be clear once the prime accused is arrested.
Friday’s development follows the earlier arrest of two suspects — Jaspreet Singh and Ram Ratta — from Patiala. Both were brought to Abohar for investigation but were later killed in a police encounter, which has triggered a controversy.
Earlier in the day, the post-mortem of Jaspreet Singh was conducted under tight security by a three-member medical board, in the presence of a judicial magistrate. The process was videographed but the media was kept away. His body was later taken to Patiala in an ambulance.
Protesting the killing, Jaspreet’s family submitted a memorandum to the Patiala sub divisional magistrate, demanding a CBI probe into the matter. They refused to speak to the media.
