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Man nabbed for Chandigarh cabbie’s murder, was held for similar offence in Mohali in 2023
A man who was out on bail in a 2023 cabbie murder case is among the two suspects arrested for the murder of another cab driver who was found stabbed to death in Sector 38 (West), Chandigarh, last week
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A man who was out on bail in a 2023 cabbie murder case is among the two suspects arrested for the murder of another cab driver who was found stabbed to death in Sector 38 (West), Chandigarh, last week.
Punjabdeep Singh, 25, of Mansa, was arrested along with his accomplice Harpreet Singh, 21, also of Mansa, from a jungle area in Sector 56 on Monday after a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera breakthrough. Both are daily wagers. While Punjabpreet is an undertrial in the 2023 case, Harpreet has no previous criminal record, police said.
The body of the victim, Vijay Kumar, 31, of Kurali, was found with multiple stab wounds near a nursery in Sector 38 West on Saturday morning. His car was recovered from Sector 52 the same morning.
Stabbed victim while seated in backseat
According to the police, the latest victim, Kumar, had taken the cab on rent from his friend, Pradeep Singh of Maloya, at the rate of ₹700 a day, just two days before he was brutally murdered.
According to the police, the accused had stabbed him while seated in the backseat. It was the blow to the chest that had proved fatal, post-mortem examination revealed. After the murder, the duo had allegedly driven around the city until Punjabpreet allegedly suggested dumping the body in the forest area in Sector 38 West.
CCTV breakthrough
An official privy to the investigation said that tracking the criminals had been exceptionally hard and it would have been a blind murder case had it not been for a bit of CCTV luck. Police had examined CCTV footage from within a 35-km radius of the crime scene and were eventually able to catch a partial image of the accused’s face on one of the cameras.
The mobile data dump also did not help as being hardened criminals, neither accused had used their phones or made or received any calls or messages while the crime was committed, an official familiar with the investigation said.
After the murder, the accused allegedly fled the city and travelled to places, including Delhi, before returning to the Sector 56 forested area, when they were caught.
Carjacking the motive
Deputy superintendent of police (DSP, South West) Dheeraj Kumar said it was a case of carjacking gone wrong. “The accused had murdered the victim in cold blood in what appears to be a carjacking incident. They killed the victim, drove around to try and dispose of the body but had to leave the car due to the presence of police across the city. When the car was recovered, it was still running and the lights were also switched on,” he said. While the murder weapon is yet to be recovered, prima facie it appears to be a kitchen knife which was used, the DSP added. Police will produce the accused in court on Tuesday and seek two-day remand to recover the knife. The victim’s mobile phone is also missing.
No clarity on app used to book cab
Police are also looking into the app used to book the cab ride. Initially, police had suspected a person who had hailed the victim’s cab services through the Rapido app and booked a ride from Kharar to Chandigarh. A team had also travelled to Mandi, Himachal Pradesh, to trace the person who was later cleared of the suspicion.
With all major cab aggregators – Uber, Ola, InDrive and Rapido, remaining suspended in Chandigarh over non-compliance with aggregator norms, police are probing how the accused managed to hail the ride.
According to information, the accused had booked a cab ride from Phase 9, Mohali, to Sector 22, Chandigarh.
Police said they will seek exemplary action against Punjabpreet in court, citing how the accused was out on bail in a similar case when he committed the crime.
An official familiar with the matter said police will press for the harshest of punishment under Section 103 (murder) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) which is life imprisonment or death sentence.
The DSP advised cab drivers to install dashcams for their safety.
Similarities with past case
Detailing the 2023 case, police said that the accused Punjabpreet, along with his associate Resham Singh of Bathinda, had allegedly killed a cab driver, Dayanand Sharma, in Mohali. They had allegedly booked a cab through the InDrive app. When the victim showed up, the duo had asked him to wait for their third friend. An argument had subsequently ensued following which the accused allegedly stabbed Sharma at least four times, drove around in the cab with his body, and finally dumped it in a drain. The case remains pending before a Mohali court, which had granted Punjabpreet bail in December 2025. Police said he had a hearing in the case on September 16 and had come to the Tricity for the purpose when he again allegedly orchestrated a similar crime. Police said the fresh case bears resemblance to the 2023 crime.
