A Ludhiana-based property dealer, Kuldeep Singh, 65, was hacked to death on the busy Dhandra Road on Friday night.
The incident, which was captured on video by a passerby and later circulated on social media, shows a man using a sword to hit the victim multiple times, near the Missing Link 2 approach road. Despite the victim’s repeated cries for help, no one intervened. Eyewitnesses said the elderly man was screaming in pain while one of the men kept attacking him mercilessly with a sword.
Kuldeep was the late Akali Dal MP Jagdev Singh Talwandi’s ex-personal assistant. According to the police, the victim left his farmhouse in a car when a group of men in a Maruti Swift car began following him. “They rear-ended Kuldeep’s vehicle. When he stepped out to check the damage, they overpowered him and attacked him with swords until he collapsed. The attackers then fled the spot in their car,” said sub-inspector Avneet Kaur, Sadar police station in-charge.
Police believe the murder was pre-planned. “Kuldeep owned a licensed pistol. It’s likely that the attackers were aware of this, and they hit his vehicle intentionally to lure him out of the car,” added the SI.
The deceased was settled abroad with his wife and kids. He had returned to India a few days in connection with some property-related issue.
Initial investigations suggest that an old property dispute or personal rivalry may be behind the attack. “He had some past disputes, but no fresh conflict has come to our notice so far. We are exploring all angles,” she said.
{{/usCountry}}Initial investigations suggest that an old property dispute or personal rivalry may be behind the attack. “He had some past disputes, but no fresh conflict has come to our notice so far. We are exploring all angles,” she said.
{{/usCountry}}Police have recovered a video of the incident shot by a passerby. The absence of CCTV cameras near the crime scene is making it difficult for cops to identify the vehicle or the attackers clearly. The police are scanning other surveillance footage from nearby roads and are conducting raids to nab the culprits.