Dubai-returned man shot dead in Amritsar; wife, aide among three arrested
The victim’s wife was having an illicit relationship with one of the co-accused while he was away in Dubai and hired another man to kill him; the man was shot dead while he was on his way to the Golden Temple in Amritsasr
Police arrested a 28-year-old woman, her aide, and a contract killer for allegedly shooting to death her husband, who had recently returned from Dubai, in Chheharta area here on Sunday after he suspected his wife of having an extramarital affair.
The killing comes amid a spate of shooting incidents in Amritsar district. As many as five people have been killed and as many injured in six shooting incidents across Amritsar district in the past nearly one month.
In the latest incident, the victim, identified as Harinder Singh, 30, of Kale village was shot dead by two bike-borne men when he along with his wife and two daughters- aged 6 and 8 years- was going to the Golden Temple on a motorcycle at around 3:30 am on Sunday in Harkrishan Nagar in Chheharta area. He had returned from Dubai, where he has been working for over a decade, around 12 days back.
His wife Satnam Kaur, her aide Arshdeep Singh, 20, and Varinder Singh, 22, of the same village have been arrested in connection with the crime.
According to police, Arshdeep and Satnam have been in an illicit relationship for the last around two years and both of them had hired Varinder for killing Harinder.
A case under sections 302 (murder), 379 B-2 (snatching by force) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code, and Section 25 of the Arms Act has been registered against the accused at the Chheharta police station.
Commissioner of police, Amritsar, Arun Pal Singh, in a press conference, said, “during investigation, our team, led by additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP-City 2) Prabhjot Singh Virk, came to know about the illicit relationship of Satnam with Arshdeep. When Harinder returned from Dubai, he had found about it and started keeping a watch on his wife. Therefore, Satnam with the help of Arshdeep got her husband killed. Both Satnam and Arshdeep had committed to give ₹ 2,70,000 to Varinder for the killing.”
ADCP Virk said, “Arshdeep was working as a granthi at a gurdwara, while Varinder is a Nihang Singh. Varinder had fired from a pistol to kill Harinder.” Sources said that police first arrested Arshdeep, who later confessed to the crime.
Soon after the incident, police had procured a CCTV footage of the area showing that the accused had started following the victim as soon as he left home with his wife and children.
Earlier, police had registered a case against unidentified persons at the Chheharta police station on the complaint of the victim’s wife, who had termed the incident as a robbery bid.
Satnam had claimed that two unidentified bike-borne men came near them from the back and pushed their bike after which they fell on the ground. “One of the accused shot my husband in the head. After this, the accused took away our two mobiles and a purse from my husband’s pocket,” Satnam had told the police.