Police on Wednesday arrested two men who shot dead a 35-year-old worker at a fastener factory in Jaspal Bangar village during a robbery. They had also stolen nut bolts worth lakhs of rupees, which have been recovered.
The accused have been identified as Paramjit Singh, 27, and Jatinder Kumar alias Chotu, 29, both residents of Dharour near Sahnewal. Police have also recovered a .32 bore licensed revolver, two iron rods, a sword and the Mahindra pick-up truck they used to escape the crime scene from their possession.
Police commissioner Kaustubh Sharma said the use of a sophisticated .32 revolver in the crime was a matter of concern.
“The accused told us during interrogation that they found the weapon near the canal bed in Khanpur village. We are checking records to find out if it was issued from Ludhiana and have written it to the ordinance factory in Kanpur to find out to whom it was issued,” Sharma added.
He said that while Paramjit is a Class 4 drop-out, Jatinder is illiterate. They were both working as drivers in the transportation sector and are married with children. As per the investigation conducted so far, they do not have a previous criminal record. “However, it is part of the investigation to find out if they were involved in illegal activities in other states,” the police chief said.
{{/usCountry}}He said that while Paramjit is a Class 4 drop-out, Jatinder is illiterate. They were both working as drivers in the transportation sector and are married with children. As per the investigation conducted so far, they do not have a previous criminal record. “However, it is part of the investigation to find out if they were involved in illegal activities in other states,” the police chief said.
{{/usCountry}}Sharing further details, deputy commissioner of police Varinder Singh Brar, ADCP- 1 Suhail Kasim Mir and ADCP- investigation Rupinder Kaur Sra maintained that only Paramjit and Jatinder were involved in the crime. The duo had taken pickup trucks on loan and failed to repay the debt, which prompted them to commit the robbery, police said.
How it had played out
The deceased, Bhiwani, had spotted the robbers loading the stolen goods in their pick-up truck and tried to chase them down. He tried to hit one of them with a wooden stick, following which they fired at him. Bhiwani was rushed to the hospital, where he was declared dead.
The accused had also opened fire at the factory owner’s relative, Jaspreet Singh, 25, but he had a close shave. Jaspreet was also attacked with swords.
While not ruling out the involvement of an insider, ADCP Sra said tracking down the accused was not easy.
“We had limited CCTV footage of the vehicle and the number plate was illegible. Our team, led by ACP investigation Sumit Sood, carried out scientific and technical investigation – which included finding out how many similar pick-up trucks were operating in the area during the day,” Sra added.
During questioning, the accused cracked and confessed to the crime.
Police said they will conduct further investigation to find out how they found out where the nut and bolts were kept and to whom they were planning to sell the stolen goods. The duo was produced before a court and further sent to police remand.