Armaan Singh, 18, who allegedly shot dead his father, a UT police head constable, at their Sector 22 residence last Friday, had also planned to kill his mother so he could inherit the family property and live comfortably with the girl he was in a relationship with, police said.
The teenager, whose police remand ended on Tuesday, was produced in court again, following which his custody was extended by four days.
A senior police official who questioned the accused said Armaan, the only child of head constable Nitin Singh and sub-inspector Monica, was eyeing a house in Zirakpur that his father had recently purchased, as well as a 7-8-acre plot the family owned at a prime location in Panchkula’s Khatauli village.
“Armaan wanted to marry the girl even though he wasn’t even 19 yet. His parents had asked him to wait until he was older. This enraged him. He wanted to take a shortcut, get the land and properties, worth crores, in his name and live life on his terms,” the senior police official said.
“He thought that, being the only child of the couple, he could easily inherit all their property after killing them,” the official added.
{{/usCountry}}“He thought that, being the only child of the couple, he could easily inherit all their property after killing them,” the official added.
{{/usCountry}}‘We’ll all die today’: What he told mother after killing cop
According to police, after shooting his father, Armaan allegedly tried to strangle his mother. When Monica discovered Nitin’s body, Armaan allegedly told her, “We’ll all die today.”
Before he could kill her, however, Monica managed to run to the terrace and call out to neighbours for help. She allegedly told them that Armaan had killed his father, following which they alerted the police.
Armaan, meanwhile, was allegedly so convinced that he would get away with the crime that he stayed at the spot instead of fleeing, and spoke to the police personnel when they arrived at the spot.
He initially tried to mislead the police by claiming that an unidentified person had entered the house, shot his father and fled. He further claimed that he had tried to catch the intruder, during which his shirt was torn. Police officials, however, said they did not find his account convincing and eventually arrested him.
Police have also questioned the girl with whom Armaan was allegedly in a live-in relationship. She has been cleared of suspicion, as police said she was unaware of his alleged plans or actions.
Weapon dealer held from Haridwar, sent to 4-day remand
Meanwhile, the man who allegedly supplied the country-made pistol used by Armaan to shoot his father was arrested from Haridwar, Uttarakhand, late Monday night.
Identified as Mohammad Shaheen, 28, the accused is a carpenter who allegedly ran an illegal weapons-supply trade on the side. He was arrested following revelations made by Armaan. The teenager had allegedly procured the weapon from Shaheen just 10 days before the murder.
Shaheen has also been sent to four days’ police custody.
Police officials said they would investigate how the two got in touch and whether Shaheen had supplied weapons to others in the tricity. A hunt is also on for a third person who allegedly worked with Shaheen in supplying firearms.
More sections added to FIR
Officials familiar with the case said that while the FIR was initially registered under the Arms Act and Section 103 (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, additional sections, including Section 115 (voluntarily causing hurt) and Section 61 (criminal conspiracy), will be added following the latest revelations.
They said that since Armaan had allegedly attempted to hurt his mother as well, provisions relating to causing simple hurt would also be added. Her medical examination, conducted the same day, showed injury marks on her neck.
Police are also treating the killing as “pre-planned”, as the accused had allegedly procured the weapon well before the crime. The section relating to criminal conspiracy will therefore also be added, officials said.
Case recap
Around 4.30 am on September 25, Nitin and Armaan allegedly had an argument over an alarm. Armaan, who had been staying with his grandparents, had returned home about two days before the incident. When Armaan’s alarm went off, waking his father, the two allegedly got into an argument, following which Nitin went back to sleep. Armaan then allegedly shot his father in the head, killing him on the spot.
The victim’s wife was asleep in another room and discovered the body around 9 am. The weapon used in the crime was later found hidden on the terrace of the house.