A second-hand car dealer shot dead a 31-year-old man, to whom he owed money, before driving up to a police station to surrender near the railway station in Chandigarh on Saturday evening.
Three shots were fired, leaving the victim, identified as Jaspreet Singh, aka Jassa, dead on the pavement near the Garcha light point in the Industrial Area. An agriculturalist belonging to Parol village in Mohali’s Mullanpur, he is survived by his wife and a five-month-old daughter.
The accused has been identified as Jaspreet Sharma, aka Monty, who runs Milan Car Bazaar in the Industrial Area, Phase 1. His father works in the Punjab and Haryana high court. The family used to reside in Sector 19 and recently moved to Zirakpur, said police.
After committing the murder, Monty sped his Skoda sedan to the police post in Daria. According to witnesses, he handed over the car key to a policeman and said that he has committed murder. However, police claimed he was arrested near the police post and the murder weapon was also recovered from him.
Meanwhile, a friend rushed Jassa to the Manimajra civil hospital, where he was declared brought dead. According to doctors, he sustained two gun wounds in the chest and one in the back.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, a friend rushed Jassa to the Manimajra civil hospital, where he was declared brought dead. According to doctors, he sustained two gun wounds in the chest and one in the back.
{{/usCountry}}Monty has been booked under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) besides under the Arms Act. He will be produced in court on Sunday.
Victim wanted his money back
Jassa and Monty were known to each other since 2008 and used to work together as bouncers till 2012.
“Preliminary investigations revealed that Jassa had given a loan of ₹9 lakh to Monty, which he had invested in his second-hand car business. Jassa was asking him to return the money that led to the murder,” said Gurmukh Singh, deputy superintendent of police (DSP, east), Chandigarh.
According to the victim’s family, he had been giving “friendly loans” to Monty as well as investing in his business since 2008, and the amount owed by the accused had climbed up to ₹55 lakh, including interest.
Jassa reportedly went to Monty’s house in Zirakpur on Friday, and asked his family to return the amount. Monty asked for a day to arrange the money.
Jassa’s brother Kulwinder said that Monty called his brother on Saturday to get the money. The two met at Sector 28, where Monty asked Jassa to accompany him to Daria village.
Jassa sat in Monty’s car, while his friend Jagdeep followed them in another vehicle. “When they reached near the Garcha light point, the two had an argument during which Jassa slapped Monty,” said the DSP.
In return, Monty shot at Jassa from close range. As the bullet hit him, Jassa tried to escape, but Monty pumped two more bullets into him. According to his friend Jagdeep, Jassa collapsed on the pavement. It was Jagdeep who then rushed him to hospital, but it was too late.