Blackmail angle in Moga youth murder, teen among 3 in net

Investigation shows a 22-year-old Moga resident was murdered as he had been blackmailing another youth whose objectionable video with a girl was with the deceased.

Three persons, including a teenager, were arrested on Wednesday on charges of conspiring and killing a 22-year-old Moga resident over blackmailing, police said.

One of the accused promised his friend ₹15,000 for murdering the victim, according to the police.

Moga senior superintendent of police Ankur Gupta said the body of Gurmukh Singh, a resident of Singhwala village in Moga district, was recovered from a drain, on the outskirts of the village, on September 16 and a murder case was registered.

Following the murder probe, the police traced and arrested three youths identified as Gurbawa Singh, 19, of Singhwala village in Moga, Gurlal Singh, 22, and Onkar Singh, 20, of Saidon village in Tarn Taran district.

“During investigation, Gurbawa confessed to hatching a conspiracy to murder Gurmukh as had been blackmailing him over an objectionable video of him with his female friend and demanded cash against deleting the clip,” the SSP said. “Gurbawa contacted his friend Gurlal and asked him to kill Gurmukh. Gurlal agreed to kill Gurmukh for ₹15,000.”

On September 15, Gurlal, accompanied by his friend Onkar, reached Singhwala via bus. “The duo followed Gurmukh in his village and offered him alcohol. When Gurmukh was drinking alcohol with them, Onkar strangled him with a cloth and Gurlal slit his throat with a knife. Later, they dumped Gurmukh’s body in a drain and fled from the spot on the victim’s bike. After the murder, Gurbawa paid ₹4,000 in cash to Gurlal and a mobile phone as part of deal,” the SSP added.

A case under Sections 103,238,3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been registered against the arrested trio at Moga city south police station.