A 23-year-old businessman hailing from this district was shot dead in Manila in the Philippines on Tuesday.
Balwinder Singh, who came from Manuke Gill village, 34 km from here, had been running a finance company in Manila for the past four years.
A pal of gloom descended on the village on Tuesday evening as Balwinder's elder brother Rachhpal Singh, who has been staying in the Philippines for the past 10 years, conveyed the news to his parents.
According to the family, Balwinder was shot dead outside Manila city by unidentified assailants, who had their faces covered, while he was travelling on a highway. "My son was cremated in Manila by our close relatives and friends on Wednesday," said Ajaib Singh, father of Balwinder.
Chhinder Kaur, mother of the deceased, said Balwinder had gone to the Philippines four and a half years ago. "It is heartbreak for the family as we were not with him during his last days and could not see the body," she said.
Balwinder's sister Sandeep Kaur said, "When my younger brother went to Manila on a work-permit visa, I thought all our all problems would end as my hard-working brother would be a success story on the foreign land. But fate had something else in store for us."
{{/usCountry}}Balwinder's sister Sandeep Kaur said, "When my younger brother went to Manila on a work-permit visa, I thought all our all problems would end as my hard-working brother would be a success story on the foreign land. But fate had something else in store for us."
{{/usCountry}}There has been a spate of murders of youths from this district in the Philippines in the past one year. They include Harveer Singh (29) of Raunta village, Baljeet Singh (32) of Kokri Kalan village, Gurdial Singh (46) of Dosanjh village, and brothers Gurmeet Singh (28) and Veer Singh (24) of Bhinder Kalan village.