E-Paper
Suspended Punjab cop gets life term for killing brother, sister-in-law
An argument had broken out after the victim, Prem Gian Sagar, who worked as a Swiggy delivery person, asked Harsaroop to turn on the motor, stating that water was not reaching the first floor due to low pressure. Upon this, the convict allegedly walked upstairs, hurled abuses and stabbed the couple
An assistant sub inspector (ASI) of Punjab Police has been awarded life-term for murdering his younger brother and sister-in-law in Ramdarbar in 2021.
The convict, Harsaroop, has also been ordered to pay a fine of ₹25,000.
The incident took place around 9.45pm on June 22, 2021. While the convict’s family lived on the ground floor, the deceased couple and their children lived on the first floor. An argument broke out after the victim, Prem Gian Sagar, who worked as a Swiggy deliveryperson, asked Harsaroop to turn on the motor, stating that water was not reaching the first floor due to low pressure. Upon this, the convict allegedly walked upstairs, hurled abuses and told Sagar that “he would finish the problem”.
He then stabbed Sagar multiple times in the abdomen, chest and back. Sagar’s wife, Divya, tried to rescue him but the convict attacked her too. He stabbed her in the back and fled from the spot.
The entire sequence of events was narrated by the deceased couple’s son, who was 13 at the time and an eyewitness to the crime.
One of the neighbours had called the ambulance after hearing the commotion and the couple was taken to Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, where Divya died around 10.40pm while Sagar succumbed two days later.
Harsaroop, meanwhile, was arrested the morning after the crime. He was wearing blood smeared clothes and was carrying a bloody knife, broken into two, which was identified as the murder weapon. He was booked under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Sector 31 police station.
‘Deceased couple’s two sons, other family members turned hostile’
As many as 18 witnesses were examined by the prosecution to establish that the murder was committed by the convict. During examination, the deceased couple’s two sons, victim’s father and his nephew were all declared hostile. While police and forensic officials were also examined, the accused said he was implicated but couldn’t present any evidence in his defence.
The court observed that the statements of the family members made it clear that all was not well at the place of occurrence as stated by the victim’s father. The court also noted that forensic evidence had established the presence of victims’ blood on the accused’s vest and that the recovered knife was used to cause multiple stab wounds on the victims.
The defence had argued that there are no eyewitnesses to the incident and the family members had not supported the version of the prosecution in the court. They also alleged that the knife recovered was planted on the accused and had stated that its dimensions were different than the one mentioned by the prosecution. However, the court also examined the knife and noted that it was the same knife, as presented in different sketches, presented by the prosecution and convicted him.
While court was pronouncing the quantum of sentence, the convict pleaded that he has to take care of his elderly parents and the two sons of his younger brother while being the sole breadwinner of the family. The court of additional sessions judge Rajeev K Beri observed that it is not one of the ‘rarest of the rare’ cases while awarding the sentence and therefore, the convict is sentenced to undergo life imprisonment and pay a fine of ₹25,000.
