Police on Monday said they have cracked the murder of Shaurya Chakra awardee Balwinder Singh Sandhu and arrested eight persons.
Sandhu, who was felicitated for fighting terrorism in Punjab, was gunned down by two bike-borne masked men at his Bhikhiwind house on October 16.
“We have cracked the case,” said Ferozepur Range deputy inspector general of police Hardiyal Singh Mann, who heads the special investigation team that was formed on chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh orders. Mann, however, refused to divulge the details, including motive of the crime. Police sources said a press briefing in connection with the case would be held on Tuesday.
Those arrested are Sukhraj Singh alias Sukha, Ravinder Singh alias Gian and Rajbir Singh of Gurdaspur district, Ravinder Singh alias Ravi, Chand Kumar Bhatia, Akasdeep Singh and Ravi Kumar of Ludhiana, and Prabhdeep Singh of Kartarpur, Jalandhar. Gian had an old enmity with Sandhu’s son and he had given a contract to gangster to kill Sandhu, said police sources.
A senior police official said, “Besides arresting eight accused, we have rounded up around six more persons. More arrests are expected in the coming days.”
Police have also recovered the parts of Bajaj Pulsar motorcycle that was used for committing the crime from a canal. “The accused had dismantled the bike before throwing it into a canal in Harike. Two of the arrested accused used to work as mechanics,” said another official.
{{/usCountry}}Police have also recovered the parts of Bajaj Pulsar motorcycle that was used for committing the crime from a canal. “The accused had dismantled the bike before throwing it into a canal in Harike. Two of the arrested accused used to work as mechanics,” said another official.
{{/usCountry}}“Though we have arrested the accused, our investigation is still on to ascertain their exact roles. It will be premature to disclose anything at this moment,” he said, adding that they are actively probing the “gangster angle”.
Last week, Tarn Taran police had brought notorious gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria from Patiala jail on a four-day production warrant. Police officials said Bhagwanpuria was questioned in connection with Sandhu’s killing.
Police had been probing the personal enmity angle in Sandhu’s killing as his sons were involved in criminal cases. Sandhu’s wife Jagdish Kaur, however, had termed the killing as “sheer act of terrorism.” She alleged that her husband’s security was withdrawn despite their complaints to police about threats to the family from pro-Khalistan elements. A senior police official, who didn’t wish to be named, ruled out any radical angle in the killing.