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Body on bench: Nurse was strangled, reveals autopsy; axed Mohali cop under lens
Mohali police have zeroed in on a dismissed assistant sub inspector (ASI), identified as Rashpreet Singh, 35, who according to sources, is the man spotted on closed-circuit television cameras, leaving the victim’s body on the bench.
The 23-year-old nurse, whose body was found on a bench near a village pond in Sohana on November 13, was strangled to death, autopsy has revealed.
Police have zeroed in on a dismissed assistant sub inspector (ASI), identified as Rashpreet Singh, 35, who according to sources, is the man spotted on closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, leaving the victim’s body on the bench. The suspect, a resident of Sector 86, Mohali, was identified with the help of CCTV footage and manual intelligence.
He had earlier been booked in an attempt-to-murder case after he attacked a man, with whom he had a property dispute, with a gun on December 21, 2020.
As per the police, it is not yet clear why the nurse was killed but it has come to the fore that she knew Rashpreet well and had gone to his house on the fateful day. A cop, privy to the investigations, said, “Rashpreet is married and has a child. He knew the victim well. We don’t know what transpired between the two but it seems they had an altercation while they were high following which the suspect strangulated her and left her on the bench.”
He added that the autopsy report had revealed that the victim’s neck bone was broken, which pointed to strangulation.
The cop added that raids are on to nab the suspect. A team visited his house, but no one was at home at the time. Police have, however, taken a black Scorpio car, belonging to the suspect, into custody.
The cop further said, “An eyewitness saw his family going somewhere in a car. It seems
Rashpreet sent his family to an unknown place. We have vital clues and will soon nab him,” claimed a cop.
A senior police officer revealed that Rashpreet was earlier posted at the Phase 8 police station and had suffered a bullet injury on the leg during an encounter.
“After this encounter, where the team had nabbed criminals in Zirakpur, Rashpreet was promoted to the rank of an ASI but eventually got involved in criminal activities and was dismissed,” said the officer.
Case recap
Police had initially booked an unidentified man after the body of the 23-year-old woman was found in Sohana. The victim was identified as a native of Abohar who worked as a nurse at a private hospital in Panchkula, and lived in a paying guest (PG) accommodation in Mohali. Police had recovered a CCTV footage, in which the man could be seen bringing the body on a scooter and placing it on a bench near her PG accommodation around midnight. Cops had earlier interrogated around eight to ten people, including a man who worked for a food delivery company and was the victim’s friend, in connection with the case. He had sent several messages to the victim on Saturday, inquiring about her whereabouts. Police also interrogated the victim’s roommate. “The victim’s roommate had claimed that she was home on Saturday night, but was seen heading out in a car,” the police officer said. The victim had left her paying guest accommodation around 2pm on Saturday, but did not return home. Her roommate called her repeatedly, but her phone was switched off.
