Four months after the body of Ekam Singh Dhillon, 40, was found stuffed in a suitcase in a BMW car parked outside his rented house in Phase 3B1, a local court on Wednesday charged his wife, Seerat Kaur, for the murder besides tampering with the evidence.
The trial in the murder that took place on the intervening night of March 18 and 19 will begin on August 17. The charges were pronounced in presence of the accused, who was brought here from Nabha's modern jail.
While Seerat’s counsel Manjinder Singh Brar pleaded not guilty on her behalf, the court framed charges after public prosecutor Gurdeep Singh said that police had material evidence on record to nail her.
The prosecutor said Seerat committed the crime with help of two accomplices. The role of Seerat’s mother and brother is still under the police scanner, even as they were let off after they joined the investigation in April.
The chargesheet filed by the Mohali police put major thrust on recovery of murder weapon, blood-stained clothes, testimony of the auto driver who alerted the cops and Seerat's confession, even as the accused maintained that her husband had committed suicide.
“Seerat, who is behind bars since March 19, will now face trial under Sections 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 25 of the Arms Act,” said counsel Tarminder Singh, who appeared on behalf of Ekam's family .
{{/usCountry}}“Seerat, who is behind bars since March 19, will now face trial under Sections 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 25 of the Arms Act,” said counsel Tarminder Singh, who appeared on behalf of Ekam's family .
{{/usCountry}}Auto driver to give testimony
As ordered by the court, Ekam's brother Darshan Singh Dhillion, who is the main complainant in the case, and the auto driver will be summoned for their testimony from August 17 to August 19. After the murder and stuffing the body in a suitcase, Seerat allegedly sought the auto driver’s help to put the suitcase in the car’s boot space.
While placing the suitcase, his hands got stained with blood. Sensing foul play, he informed the police. Nearly 50 witnesses, including Seerat's 11-year-old son, will be examined during the trial.
Supplementary challan to bring clarity
Even as the Mohali police, in the chargesheet filed last month, named Seerat as the accused, there is no clarity on the involvement of her accomplices. Ekam’s family alleged that Seerat’s two male friends were involved in the crime besides her mother.
“Their prime motive was to grab Ekam's properties that were registered in the name of Seerat's mother,” they alleged. Sources said the police may file a supplementary chargesheet soon to bring clarity on the matter.