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Angry over mother’s remarriage, youth flies from NZ to kill stepfather, held
The accused, Avdeep Singh, was arrested along with his cousin, Rajandeep Singh, a Rampur resident, in connection with the murder, said police
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In a breakthrough in the Saturday murder of a 35-year-old Sikh businessman in Uttar Pradesh’s Rampur district, police have arrested two suspects, including the victim’s 22-year-old stepson, who allegedly travelled from New Zealand to execute the murder due to animosity over his 49-year-old mother’s remarriage.
The accused, Avdeep Singh, was arrested along with his cousin, Rajandeep Singh, a Rampur resident, in connection with the murder, said police.
The victim, Navjot Singh, was shot dead outside his car washing centre in the Milak Khanam area of Rampur on Saturday evening.
According to police, Navjot was at his centre when the assailants arrived in a car. They got out of the vehicle and opened fire, hitting him multiple times in the chest, before fleeing the scene. Navjot was rushed to a hospital but died shortly afterwards.
Police said they were questioning the two accused to establish the sequence of events, including when Avdeep returned from New Zealand, and to ascertain whether others were involved in the crime.
The dispute reportedly began around nine months ago, when Navjot married Kamal Kaur, a widow, after the death of his first wife. The couple lived in close proximity to each other.
Kamal’s two sons, Avdeep and Joganpreet Singh, had moved to New Zealand around three years earlier following their father’s death and were allegedly opposed to their mother’s marriage. A relative of Navjot said a panchayat had been convened in an attempt to resolve the dispute. The relative also alleged that the brothers had threatened Navjot in the past.
A resident of Tah Kalan village, Navjot was the only son of farmer Nishan Singh. His uncle, Jagdeep Gill, said Navjot’s first wife had died after allegedly consuming a poisonous substance. Navjot was booked in connection with her death and sent to jail, Gill said. He was released over a year ago and subsequently opened a car washing centre at Kumhariya Kalan crossing.
On a complaint filed by Nishan Singh, police registered an FIR against eight people, including Kamal’s two sons and their relatives, at the Milak Khanam police station.
“We are questioning Avdeep and Rajandeep to ascertain the details of the case. As part of the investigation, we are also trying to establish when Avdeep returned from New Zealand,” said superintendent of police (Rampur) Anil Kumar Singh.
