E-Paper
Muktsar youth murder: Mastermind returns from Dubai, nabbed from Lucknow airport
Navjot Singh, the alleged mastermind in the sensational case of abduction and murder of Harman Singh, was detained from Lucknow Airport on Saturday evening after he unsuccessfully tried to dodge the Muktsar police.
BATHINDA: Navjot Singh, the alleged mastermind in the sensational case of abduction and murder of Harman Singh, was detained from Lucknow Airport on Saturday evening after he unsuccessfully tried to dodge the Muktsar police. Victim Harman of Kot Bhai village was abducted on November 25 for a ransom of ₹30 lakh. The victim was murdered soon after the abduction and buried in a wheat field in Sham Khera village.
Officials privy to the investigation said Navjot was scheduled to return to India from Dubai on December 30, but he cut short his trip by 13 days and instead booked a fresh ticket to Lucknow.
“Navjot probably learnt that the police were looking for him, and he rescheduled his trip from Dubai. He was detained at Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport as a lookout circular (LOC) was issued against him,” said a police functionary.
HT was the first to report that Navjot was arrested at an airport on Saturday evening.
Inspector general of police, Faridkot range, PK Yadav, said a police team was bringing Navjot back, and he would be produced before Muktsar court on Monday.
“Navjot’s arrest was possible due to painstaking police investigation that solved the ruthless crime. Muktsar senior superintendent of police (SSP) Opinderjeet Singh Ghumman was leading from the front, and the team raided various parts of Punjab and Rajasthan,” he added.
A resident of Kot Bhai village in Muktsar district, Harman (20), was killed, and his body was exhumed on Saturday from a wheat field at Sham Khera village, located about 40 km from the victim’s native place.
Investigators said prima facie, Navjot flew to Dubai only to make ransom calls to the Harman’s family, even though the victim was killed and buried within hours of his abduction.
SSP Ghumman said after the abduction and murder of Harman on November 25, Navjot flew to Dubai from Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport in Amritsar.
“During the investigation, our team got hold of a travel agent in a south Malwa district who had arranged Navjot’s travel plan. As we were familiar with Navjot’s Dubai visit, a LOC was issued, as per protocol. Instead of using his return ticket, booked for December 30, he tried to play smart and bought a new ticket and reached Lucknow on Saturday,” said the SSP.
It was the sixth arrest in the sensational crime, and the police authorities said 6-8 more persons have been marked as suspects, “Efforts are being made to arrest them as well,” the police said.
A native of Malkan village in Bathinda, Navjot has been living at Kot Bhai village with his maternal uncle for the last few years.
“Navjot’s in-laws live in Dullapur Kheri village in Rajasthan’s Sri Ganganagar district. Ramandeep Kaur, his wife, and brother-in-law Akash were among those involved in the crime, the SSP said.
“Navjot has not engaged in any particular avocation but was fond of wrestling. When a police team was following two criminals near Dullapur Kheri, who came to pick up a bag of ransom money on December 7, they became aware of the police movement and fled. Even though they managed to flee without cash, our team identified one person as Akash and finally zeroed down on the mastermind behind the crime,” the SSP said.
Investigators said after burying Harman in co-accused Gursewak Singh’s wheat field at Sham Khera village, criminals used the deceased’s mobile phone to contact the aggrieved family for ransom and threats.
“The deceased phone was used frequently from various locations in Punjab. Investigators grew suspicious about the well-being of Harman as the abductors did not make him speak with his family as a usual pressure tactic used by the abductors. The crime was finally revealed after the body was exhumed on Saturday,” said an official.
