Ludhiana: Months after villager’s death, murder case registered

Initially, it was taken as a suicide case but postmortem report mentions poisoning, say police; the family of the deceased has pointed fingers at his wife

Nearly four months after the mysterious death of a villager in Ladian Kalan, the police have now registered a murder case against unidentified persons. The development comes after the autopsy report confirmed that the victim had died of poisoning.

The police are now probing the role of the victim’s wife and others who may have been involved.

The deceased, Manmohan Singh of Ladian Kalan, was initially believed to have died by suicide on May 5. However, his family had maintained from the beginning that it was a case of murder. Following the post-mortem findings, the police have registered an FIR under Section 103 (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on the complaint of his sister Maninder Kaur of Phillaur.

According to Maninder Kaur, her brother had married Jyoti on October 30, 2020, and the couple often quarelled. On May 5, she was informed that Manmohan had allegedly ended his life owing to strained relations with his wife. But neighbours later told her that Manmohan had not been depressed, casting doubt on the suicide theory. She alleged that Jyoti may have given Manmohan poison with the help of unidentified accomplices.

Sub-inspector Jasveer Singh, station house officer (SHO) of the Haibowal police station, confirmed that the family had initially suspected murder but the police were awaiting the autopsy results. “The medical report has clearly established that Manmohan Singh died of poisoning. On the basis of this report and the family’s complaint, we have registered a case of murder. Further investigation is underway,” he said.

The police are now probing the role of the victim’s wife and others who may have been involved.