A former armyman with criminal background was shot dead by two bike-borne men outside his house at the border town of Dera Baba Nanak, 18 kilometres from Batala in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district, police said on Thursday.
Though a gangster claimed responsibility for the murder in a Facebook post, police have booked two other men named by the victim’s brother.
Karamjit Singh, aka Sabi Fauji, 40, was walking outside his house after dinner around 9.45pm on Wednesday when the assailants opened fire at him. “When we heard the gunshots, we rushed outside, but the killers had fled by then,” said Karamjit’s brother Gagan Ajit Singh.
Deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Kamalpreet Singh said Karamjit received two bullets injuries — one in the head and the other in his back. “He was rushed to a nearby hospital, from where he was referred to a private hospital in Amritsar, but he succumbed to his injuries on the way.
Two booked; gangster claims responsibility too
In his complaint, Gagan named two men — Mandeep Singh and Jagdeep Singh of Batala — with whom the family has an old financial dispute. On its basis, an FIR was registered under Sections 302 (murder) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code besides under the Arms Act against the duo.
{{/usCountry}}In his complaint, Gagan named two men — Mandeep Singh and Jagdeep Singh of Batala — with whom the family has an old financial dispute. On its basis, an FIR was registered under Sections 302 (murder) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code besides under the Arms Act against the duo.
{{/usCountry}}However, Amarjot Bal, an absconding gangster, claimed responsibility for the attack in a post on Facebook on Thursday.
According to the DSP, Karamjit was booked in six criminal cases and had an altercation with other inmates in the jail in 2018.
Bal’s post, written in Punjabi, claims that he was one of the persons beaten up by Karamjit in the jail and “yesterday night, I took revenge”. “The next turn is of the man who was with him... Police are requested not to harass anyone illegitimately,” the post reads further.
According to sources, Karamjit once also had links with gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, who is at present lodged in the Patiala jail. The DSP said police are investigating the matter keeping Bal’s Facebook post in mind, but refused to comment on the victim’s alleged links with Bhagwanpuria.