Youth arrested in Panchkula kabaddi player’s murder case
According to Panchkula police, the youth, Sameer Khan, was accompanying the prime accused, Piyush Piplani and Ankush, during the murderous attack.
Police have arrested a 21-year-old youth in connection with the June 5 murder national kabaddi player and transporter Sonu Nolta, 32, outside a mall in Amravati Enclave, Panchkula.
According to police, the youth, Sameer Khan, was accompanying the prime accused, Piyush Piplani and Ankush, during the murderous attack.
Police claimed that Sameer, who was living on rent at Saini Mohalla, Pinjore, and hailed from Uttar Pradesh, was arrested from Maddawala village, near Pinjore, on June 11 and has been taken on five-day police remand.
During the court hearing on Thursday, Nitin, alias Prince, 20, Sonu Nolta’s cousin, who sustained a bullet injury in his leg in the attack, confirmed Sameer’s presence in Piyush’s car.
Pinjore police had registered a case under various sections of BNS and under the Arms Act, and now Sameer has been nominated in this case. Initial investigation has revealed that Sameer became friends with Piyush and later Ankush Solanki, both residents of Pinjore. Driven by the desire to establish dominance in the area, they conspired to murder Sonu.
Police sources said around half a dozen criminal cases, including attempt to murder, robbery, and Arms Act violations, had been registered against him in local police stations and in Parwanoo, Himachal Pradesh.
After committing Sonu Nolta’s murder, the prime accused dropped Sameer at PGIMER after parking their car in the parking lot. He then went to UP to escape from the police.
According to police, Sameer was deeply involved in the murder, participating in the planning and a reconnaissance in a Nexon car before the attack.
After Sonu’s immediate death, they uploaded a video to social media, which police traced. An eight-member special investigation team (SIT), led by ACP (Crime) Arvind Kamboj, was formed on June 10 to probe the case. Eight additional special teams were also constituted.
Police interrogating co-accused in old cases
DCP (Crime) Amit Dahiya stated that police teams were conducting extensive raids across Himachal Pradesh (Baddi, Parwanoo), Chandigarh, and Mohali. They are interrogating suspects, relatives and friends, and scrutinising financial records, call details and digital activity to gather critical information and interrogate co-accused from Ankush and Piyush’s old cases.
