5 years after goat trader’s beheading, man gets life term

Additional public prosecutor Hardeep Singh Romana argued that victim Sucha Singh had been murdered in an exceptionally brutal manner and urged the court to award the death penalty to the convict

Five years after a 40-year-old goat trader from Nangal was beheaded over a dispute over ₹40,000, a local court has sentenced the main accused to life imprisonment.

Victim Sucha Singh (HT File)

The court of additional sessions judge Vikrant Kumar had pronounced Jagir Singh, 67, alias Ghola, resident of Parol, guilty of the murder on July 17. The convict was also slapped with a fine of ₹1 lakh, which is to be awarded to the victim’s wife through the district legal services authority (DLSA). Two other accused in the case were acquitted due to lack of evidence.

Additional public prosecutor Hardeep Singh Romana argued that victim Sucha Singh had been murdered in an exceptionally brutal manner and urged the court to award the death penalty to the convict. While the court referred to the Supreme Court’s landmark judgments in Bachan Singh vs State of Punjab and Sangeet & Others vs State of Haryana, in delivering the verdict, it observed that the case did not fall within the “rarest of rare” category and thus it would not justify capital punishment.

According to the prosecution, on June 12, 2021, Jagir and Sucha had an argument over a transaction related to the purchase and sale of goats. As the dispute escalated, Jagir allegedly attacked Sucha with a sword, beheading him.

After committing the crime, the accused buried the headless body at his own farmhouse while disposing of the severed head at a different location. Jagir’s farmhouse was near the then Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh’s retreat in Siswan.

Pet dog led family to victim’s body

The murder came to light on June 21, 2021, when the victim’s pet dog repeatedly led family members to a particular spot. Growing suspicious, they informed the police, who excavated the area and recovered the headless body. Fifteen days later, a bag containing the severed head was found buried 200 to 250 metres from the spot, following Jagir’s confession.

Post-mortem examination had revealed that the victim had a deep injury to the neck, caused by a heavy sharp-edged iron weapon, resulting in excessive blood loss. To establish that the torso and the severed head were of the same person, the forensic science laboratory (FSL) in Mohali carried out DNA profiling.

In its judgment, the court held that the prosecution had produced sufficient evidence to prove the charge of murder against the main accused. The co-accused Satnam Singh alias Satti and Desh Raj alias Desa were acquitted after the prosecution failed to establish their involvement beyond reasonable doubt.