Ponty case: farmhouse was Namdhari's reward?

For close to 20 years, Sukhdev Singh Namdhari helped Gurdeep 'Ponty' Chadha grab properties across states and was rewarded with several of them, sources close to the investigation said Sunday.

For close to 20 years, Sukhdev Singh Namdhari helped Gurdeep 'Ponty' Chadha grab properties across states and was rewarded with several of them, sources close to the investigation said Sunday.

The south Delhi farmhouse that triggered a bloodbath that left both Ponty and his younger brother Hardeep Singh dead might also have been promised to Namdhari, the sources added.

It was probably his reward for having helped the liquor baron take over the disputed property handed over to Hardeep by the courts.

"Ponty apparently gave Namdhari ownership of some of the properties they jointly acquired across at least three north Indian states. This is what he has stated during questioning and it is being verified," an officer said.

Meanwhile, a Delhi Police team claimed to have recovered a 7.62-mm pistol from Namdhari's residence in Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand.

"Whether or not it was used in the incident can be ascertained only after a ballistics analysis," a senior crime branch officer said.

Investigators had claimed Saturday that Namdhari had confessed to shooting Hardeep, a charge he has denied.

The gun licence was issued to Namdhari in Punjab's SAS Nagar, even though he did not own a house (proof of residence) there.