E-Paper
Ludhiana: ‘Involved in murder’ over beer bottle, 2 more land in police net
The victim’s kin had been protesting since November 24 seeking arrest of all of the accused involved in the murder
A month after a 19-year-old youth was thrashed to death by his friend and his four accomplices over an argument about purchasing a beer bottle near the Ludhiana railway station, the CIA staff 1 police have arrested two key accused.
The arrested men have been identified as Sandeep Kumar of Kabir Basti of Dhuri Line and Sunil Kumar of Manmohan Nagar of Ambala. Four of the accused — Sandeep, Sunil, Happy Rajput, Shiva and Ankit, all residents of Santpura, Dhuri Line — were arrested soon after the murder. The victim’s kin had been protesting since November 24 seeking arrest of all of the accused involved in the murder.
Sub-Inspector (SI) Sulakhan Singh, who is investigating the case, said Sandeep Kumar and Sunil Kumar were arrested from Jalandhar bypass following a tip-off. He added that Sandeep Kumar is already facing a trial in a case of snatching. He got bail in January 2021. The accused, during interrogation, stated that he along with his friends came to the Ludhiana railway station to drop Sunil as he had to board a train for Ambala. They indulged in a spat with Kamaljeet Singh, alias Kamal, outside the railway station. During the scuffle, he died and they fled.
The SI added that all six accused involved in the case have been arrested.
On the intervening night of November 23 and 24, Kamal and his friends were roaming in the city late at night and had consumed alcohol. Near the railway station, Kamal encountered his friend Happy Rajput who was seated on his bike. Kamal asked Happy to buy him a beer bottle. Though Happy initially agreed, he later refused and joined his friends Sandeep and Sunil, in a car nearby.
An argument ensued when Kamal followed Happy to the car, leading to a heated exchange. The accused then attacked Kamal with sluggers and sticks they had in the vehicle. Kamal’s friends initially tried to intervene but fled to save themselves as the violence escalated. The attackers left Kamal unconscious before fleeing. He was rushed to hospital, where he succumbed to the injuries.
The Division number 1 police had slapped Sections 103(2) (murder by a group of five or more persons), 191 (rioting), and 3(5) (act done with common intention) of the BNS on the accused.
