Body on bench: On the run for 11 days, sacked Punjab cop finally lands in police net

The accused, who was allegedly in a live-in relationship with the victim, tells police she died of excessive alcohol consumption; autopsy had stated the cause of death to be strangulation

Eleven days after a 23-year-old nurse’s body was found on a bench near a village pond in Sohana, police have arrested a dismissed assistant sub-inspector, who is allegedly her live-in partner, for her rape and murder.

Rashpreet Singh, 35, was on the run and was held from Sector 67, Mohali. He will be produced in the court on Saturday. The accused, who is married and has two children, knew the victim for the past two years. (HT File)

The accused Rashpreet Singh, 35, was on the run and was held from Sector 67, Mohali. He will be produced in the court on Saturday. The accused, who is married and has two children, knew the victim for the past two years.

Deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Harsimran Singh Bal said that during questioning, the accused told the police that he was in a live-in relationship with the victim and that she died of excessive alcohol consumption. He said the duo used to consume liquor everyday and on the day on the incident, the woman drank too much and fell unconscious. In a state of panic, he left her on the bench and ran away, instead of taking her to the hospital.

The woman’s post-mortem report, which was submitted a few days ago, however, stated that the cause of death was “asphyxia due to throttling”. As per the police, the accused had raped the victim before strangulating her. He had also allegedly deleted some closed-circuit television camera footage at his house, for which he has been booked under Section 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offense), besides for rape and murder. As per sources, the accused had also got lights installed on the number plates of the scooter on which he carried the victim’s body, which made it difficult to read it.

DSP Bal said, “Now, that we have arrested the accused, the reason or motive behind the crime will be ascertained.”

The victim, a native of Abohar, worked at a private hospital in the tricity.

Past misdemeanours

Rashpreet, who was earlier posted at the Phase 8 police station, had suffered a bullet injury on the leg during an encounter, in which the police team had nabbed criminals in Zirakpur. Following this, Rashpreet was promoted to the rank of an ASI. But he was dismissed from the force after he attacked a man, with whom he had a property dispute, with a gun on December 21, 2020. An attempt-to-murder case was registered against him after this.