E-Paper
Hisar man denied bail for aiding shooters in kabaddi player’s murder
A court denied bail for Surender, accused of aiding shooters in the murder of kabaddi player Sonu Nolta, citing concerns over evidence tampering.
An additional sessions court has rejected the bail plea of a 29-year-old man from Hisar for allegedly providing shelter and logistical support to the shooters involved in the murder of 32-year-old kabaddi player Sonu Nolta.
District police had registered an FIR in June last year under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 25 of the Arms Act after Nolta was shot dead outside Amravati Mall on June 5. The accused, Surender, was arrested on September 7, however, his counsel argued that he was apprehended on August 7 and held in illegal detention for nearly a month, claiming his client’s innocence.
During the investigation, police found that Surender had taken the main accused, Piyush Piplani and Ankush Solanki, residents of Pinjore, to a clinic in Hisar run by Pankaj Kumar, an unlicensed medical practitioner, for treatment of a gunshot wound. Piyush, who had sustained an injury on his right hand, reportedly two days prior, was treated with cleaning, four stitches and re-bandaging. Surender later took the accused away, and they did not return to the clinic.
During police remand, Surender allegedly identified several crime-related locations, including the house where the accused had stayed, places where their clothes and shoes were burnt, and a spot where he allegedly handed over a bag containing a weapon to an unidentified person. He also identified a canal where a mobile phone was buried and multiple locations where mobile phones were disposed of. Police further claimed that Surender took the accused to the Haryana-Rajasthan border near Juppa town and put them on a government bus.
The vehicle allegedly used to transport the accused and Surender’s Vivo mobile phone, recovered from Pankaj’s paying guest accommodation, were seized by the police. Investigators also recovered a video uploaded on Facebook by the main accused using Surender’s phone, which police said was linked to the commission of the crime. According to police, Surender actively assisted the accused by providing shelter, medical aid, mobile phones and weapons, and by helping dispose of incriminating evidence.
Police further said that Surender is an active member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang and has prior criminal antecedents. Two FIRs were registered against him in 2024 under Sections 447 and 34 of the IPC at Azad Nagar Police Station in Hisar.
Court records note that Ankush during remand proceedings, corroborated Surender’s role in transporting him and Piyush to multiple locations. The court observed that given the gravity of the allegations and the petitioner’s involvement, there was a reasonable apprehension of evidence tampering and interference with the ongoing investigation, and therefore dismissed the bail plea.
The FIR in the murder case was registered on the statement of Nitin alias Prince, cousin of Nolta. He said that on June 5, Sonu, Nitin and a female friend were watching a movie at Amravati Mall when Piyush and Ankush opened fire, fatally injuring Sonu and wounding Nitin before fleeing with their weapons.
Police also noted that Piyush and Ankush have been named as shooters in another high-profile case, the December murder of Inderpreet Parry in Sector 26, Chandigarh, highlighting their alleged links to organised crime networks.
