Kullu police have solved the murder case of junior engineer’s of Jal Shakti department and arrested four persons, including a woman doctor.
The victim, Labh Singh Guleria, 52, was found injured near the department’s office on the evening of July 24 and later succumbed to his injuries during the treatment at AIIMS Bilaspur. A case was registered based on a complaint by his wife Kanta Devi.
Among those arrested are a female doctor, posted at the Kullu regional hospital; her husband, a doctor at Ayurvedic hospital in Lahaul Spiti; her father-in-law and her brother-in-law, said police, adding that the arrests were made on Wednesday night.
“We arrested four persons, including a female doctor, after the police investigations and call detail records revealed that the accused female doctor’s family suspected an ‘illicit relationship’ between Guleria and her,” said Kullu superintendent of police Madan Lal Kaushal, during a press conference on Thursday.
Guleria was called home on pretext of checking pipeline
Police said that on the evening of July 24, around 7.15pm, Guleria received a call asking him to come to the female doctor’s residence on the pretext of inspecting a water pipeline. There, the woman doctor’s husband, father-in-law, and brother-in-law brutally assaulted him, dumped him by the roadside near his office and fled, the cops said.
According to the police, when the victim did not return home, his wife, and other family members began searching for him. They first found his scooter near his office and subsequently found him unconscious near a kiosk, a short distance from the Jal Shakti Department office in Gandhinagar, Kullu. The family immediately rushed him to the regional hospital in Kullu, however, given his precarious condition, he was referred to AIIMS Bilaspur, where he succumbed to his injuries on July 26. Following his death, the police added Section 103 (1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) to the FIR.
{{/usCountry}}According to the police, when the victim did not return home, his wife, and other family members began searching for him. They first found his scooter near his office and subsequently found him unconscious near a kiosk, a short distance from the Jal Shakti Department office in Gandhinagar, Kullu. The family immediately rushed him to the regional hospital in Kullu, however, given his precarious condition, he was referred to AIIMS Bilaspur, where he succumbed to his injuries on July 26. Following his death, the police added Section 103 (1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) to the FIR.
{{/usCountry}}A seven-member Special Investigation Team (SIT), led by assistant superintendent of police (ASP) Sanjeev Chauhan was constituted to investigate the matter.
Maid’s statement gave initial breakthrough
According to the police, the case was solved with the help of mobile call detail records (CDR), CCTV footage, scientific investigation, and circumstantial evidence.
Police said the maid’s statement gave the initial breakthrough in the case.
The SIT conducted an in-depth analysis of technical and scientific evidence over many days. The four individuals were detained and interrogated during the investigation before being formally arrested.
The police investigation also revealed attempts to destroy evidence, stating that the DVR of the CCTV cameras installed at the house were replaced after the incident. This is also under investigation.
SP Kaushal stated that technical analysis, mobile location data, call records, and other forensic evidence played a crucial role in the case.