Young couple shot dead outside Tarn Taran house; woman’s 3 kin among 10 booked

A newly married couple was hacked and shot dead outside their house in Naushehra Dhala village, 40km from Tarn Taran, about 8.30am on Sunday. Police say relatives

A newly married couple was hacked and shot dead outside their house in Naushehra Dhala village, 40km from Tarn Taran, about 8.30am on Sunday. Police say relatives of the woman, Amanpreet Kaur, 23, who belonged to Gehri village, barely 5km from the spot of the double murder, committed the crime as they were opposed to her love marriage with Amandeep Singh, 24, a farmer. This is the second such instance in the village over the past 45 days.

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The couple was returning home after paying obeisance at Gurdwara Bir Baba Budha Sahib near Chabhal town. Police say the accused, three of whom are cousin brothers of the woman, forced the couple to sit in their car at Rajatal Link road, a km from the Naushehra Dhala village, the crime spot. This village is a stone’s throw from the barbed fence along the India-Pakistan border.

“My son got married with Amanpreet Kaur in Punjab and Haryana high court in August 2018. On Sunday, they went to the Gurdwara Sahib on a motorcycle. About 8.30am, I heard gunshots outside my home. I rushed out to see my son and his wife, lying on the ground in a pool of blood. I also saw a Maruti Suzuki Swift car leaving the spot,” said Sukhdev Singh, 55, Amandeep’s father. He added, “My son died on the spot, while my daughter-in-law was rushed to a private hospital, where doctors declared her brought dead.”

“Three cousin brothers of my daughter-in-law, along with their other relatives, killed the couple,” Sukhdev, a farmer, added.

Tarn Taran DSP, City, Kawaljit Singh, who visited the spot, said, “Preliminary investigation shows the couple was hacked and then shot. We have booked ten people, including four by name, who are relatives of the dead woman.”

The named accused are cousins Gurbhinder Singh, Surjit Singh and Harwinder Singh; and Amarjit Singh. A case has been registered under sections 302 (murder), 365 (kidnapping or abducting with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine person), 120B (criminal conspiracy), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object) of the IPC and 25-54-59 of Arms Act at Sara-E-Amanat Khan police station.

Amanpreet’s father Amarjit Singh and mother Gurjit Kaur reached the spot. They were taken into custody for questioning. “The couple was killed by my nephews (brother’s sons) and their accomplices, even as we had accepted the love marriage,” said Amarjit. The DSP added, “As of now, we have found no link of Amanpreet’s parents to the killings.”