Nabha Youth Congress leader shot dead by friend

Victim was a complainant against a judge who was later suspended by the high court chief justice in December

Former Nabha block Youth Congress president Amandeep Singh Goshu was allegedly killed by his friend Dharmjeet Singh Soni on Friday night. Police registered a case against Soni under Section 302 (murder) of the IPC and Arms Act on Saturday late evening, hours after ir concluded the inquest proceedings. The accused is absconding.

HT Image

Amandeep was found dead of a gunshot wound in the left temple in his vehicle near Nabha police station around 9.30pm on Friday. He was found dead on the driver’s seat and his licensed 32-bore pistol was found nearby. He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.

Amandeep worked as a property dealer and he was a complainant against a judicial officer of a Nabha court whom he had accused of corruption about four months back. The judge, who was facing some other complaints, including issuing threat to an advocate using the name of a notorious gangster, was placed under suspension in December last year by the chief justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

It is learnt that Amandeep left his house in an inebriated condition with Soni around 9pm to drop the latter home in Hira Mahal. The family members said the two were very close friends and used to meet on most evenings.

Police said the accused had tried to make the crime look like a suicide. Patiala SP(D) Harminder Singh Hundal said Soni had convinced Goshu’s kin that he had committed suicide. The SP said bullet in his left temple had raised suspicion as Amandeep was right-handed. “Inquiry revealed that Goshu owed ₹10 lakh to Soni and he was not paying the sum. Dispute over money is the motive of the crime,” said the SP. He said Soni used Amandeep’s ’s gun to shoot him, police said.