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Mohali: Phase-5 carjacking case cracked with arrest of two
After the carjacking in Mohali’s Phase 5 market, the duo had abandoned the vehicle near Shahimajra; they were nabbed from GMSH-16 where one of them was under treatment for a gunshot wound he suffered in the crime
Less than 24 hours after a Ropar resident was shot and robbed of his Hyundai i-20 car in the parking lot of the Phase-5 market in Mohali, police arrested two persons and recovered the vehicle.
The accused have been identified as Hardev Singh Cheema, a resident of Sector 30, and Rohit Kumar, a native of Bihar. Both had taken a rented accommodation in Shahi Majra village.
Addressing a press conference on Monday, Mohali senior superintendent of police (SSP) Vivek Sheel Soni said, “Kumar has been arrested whereas the main accused, Cheema, who suffered a self-inflicted bullet wound during the crime, has been secured at Government Multi Specialty Hospital, Sector 16, where he is under treatment. He will be formally arrested once doctors declare him fit.”
The incident had taken place around 10.30pm, when the victim, Harvinder Singh, a Ropar resident, had come to the market with his family for dinner. While his family was inside the eating joint, Harvinder came to the parking lot to take a phone call and collect something from his car.
“When the victim was about to unlock the car, the accused tried to snatch his keys. But Harvinder resisted and in the process, Cheema suffered a gunshot wound from his own country-made pistol. Panicked, the accused fled the scene but not before firing three rounds at Harvinder, who took three bullets in his abdomen,” said the SSP.
The SSP said that immediately after the crime was reported, a message was flashed across all police control rooms (PCR). Around midnight, a PCR vehicle found the snatched Hyundai i-20 car abandoned near Shahimajra village in Mohali. The cops also tracked the accused’s rented accommodation in Shahimajra but the duo was nabbed from GMSH-16 where Kumar had taken Cheema for treatment.
The SSP added that police have also recovered ₹1.87 lakh, five gold bangles, a gold chain, a pair of gold earrings, and two gold rings from the Hyundai i-20 car.
“The two had come on an Activa scooter to snatch the car. The scooter has also been taken in custody along with two magazines, 32-bore country-made pistol, four live cartridges and a knife found inside it,” said the cop.
Meanwhile, carjacking victim Harvinder, who is presently under treatment at Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), is stated to be out of danger.
THE ACCUSED
Hardev Cheema, 30
A resident of Sector 30, Chandigarh, Cheema works as a cab driver. As per the police, he is already undergoing trial in an attempt-to-murder a case in Chandigarh and was out on bail after remaining in judicial custody for over two years.
Rohit Kumar, 25
A native of Bihar, Kumar initially took up job as a security guard in a firm in Mohali and later started working as a deliveryman. As per the police, no criminal case has been tracked against him so far in Chandigarh, but police will be probing if he has any history of crime in Bihar. The weapon used in crime had been brought from Bihar.
Lure of quick buck drove them to crime
During interrogation, Kumar told police that they wanted to make quick money. They had planned in advance to carry out the crime in the Phase-5 market and were looking for an easy target. On spotting a man alone near a car, they opened attack on him.
