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Mohali: 65-year-old man killed after blows from early morning trespasser
Mohali police say the 22-year-old youth entered the house stealthily to meet the victim’s granddaughter and attacked him on getting caught; was later overpowered
A 65-year-old man died after suffering blows inflicted by a youth whom he had caught trespassing into his house at Mouli village, Sohana, on early Sunday morning.
According to police, the accused, identified as Gurpratap Singh, 22, had entered the house stealthily with the motive of meeting the victim’s granddaughter, who is 18 years old and studies in Class 12.
An employee of the Regional Passport Office, Chandigarh, Gurpratap was caught by the victim’s family and handed over to the police after thrashing.
Police said the victim, who was unemployed, lived with his wife and two sons, a vegetable vendor and a lineman with the power department, who are married and have children.
“Around 5 am on Sunday, Gurpratap entered the victim’s house to meet his granddaughter. But he was caught by the victim. When confronted, he shared his intention to marry the girl. But the enraged victim hit Gurpratap, who repeatedly punched him in return. Amid the fight, the accused pushed the victim towards a water pump installed near the gate of the house, causing him to collapse,” said Gurcharan Singh, station house officer (SHO), Sohana police station.
After other members of the family raised the alarm, the accused tried to flee by scaling a wall, but ended up fracturing his leg.
He was caught by the family and locals and given a thrashing, before police were called to the scene. The victim was taken to the Phase-6 civil hospital, where he was pronounced brought dead.
The accused was booked under Sections 302 (murder), 452 (house trespass) and 506 (criminal Intimidation) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Sohana police station following a complaint of by the deceased’s wife.
The SHO said there was no injury mark on the body. “The injuries and cause of death will be ascertained through post-mortem examination. The accused doesn’t have any criminal past,” he added.
The accused will be produced in court on Monday.
Family claims accused had been stalking the girl
One of the sons of the victim claimed that the accused had been stalking his daughter and they had confronted him about this several times.
“We had even asked his mother to keep a check on her son’s activities, but to no avail. Crossing all limits, he entered our house through the roof while we were all asleep. When my father saw him, he murdered him, ruining our family,” stated the victim’s son, who works as a lineman with PSPCL.
Meanwhile, an officer privy to the case said the accused entered the house through the main gate that someone had opened for him from inside.
