Mystery around college student’s death: Gun belongs to Punjab NRI, says police

The licensed weapon was reportedly misplaced after the NRI’s brother, who is an ex-sarpanch in Khamanon tehsil, submitted it to the police station in September last year ahead of the Punjab assembly polls.

The German-made revolver that took 19-year-old SD College student’s life belongs to a non-resident Indian (NRI) from Fatehgarh Sahib in Punjab, revealed the Panchkula police probe on Tuesday.

Panchkula police commissioner AS Chawla told HT that having traced the weapon owner, the cops are now trying to find how the gun came in Tanishq’s possession. (HT File)

The licensed weapon was reportedly misplaced after the NRI’s brother, who is an ex-sarpanch in Khamanon tehsil, submitted it to the police station in September last year ahead of the Punjab assembly polls.

First FIR registered

The Panchkula police have registered a case against unidentified people under Arms Act in connection with Tanishq’s death. Source said it was done to make it easier for the police to summon the suspects to trace the weapon’s movement. Meanwhile, police said their suicide theory is getting strengthened with each passing day. However, the motive still remains unclear

However, the police are still trying to piece together the facts to find how the revolver reached Tanishq, whose body was found in his Corolla car with a gunshot wound on his head on the Morni road last Thursday.

Panchkula police commissioner AS Chawla told HT that having traced the weapon owner, the cops are now trying to find how the gun came in Tanishq’s possession.

Tanishq went to UP two months ago

Sources said phone conversations retrieved from Tanishq’s mobile number have helped police zero in on a person from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, whom the 19-year-old met there about two months ago.

Police have not revealed the person’s identity yet, but suspect he helped Tanishq buy the weapon from Saharanpur’s grey market, which is otherwise infamous for manufacturing countrymade guns.

Cops have also traced the Facebook profile of one of Tanishq’s friends, who used to share pictures with different weapons. They are looking into whether he introduced Tanishq to the Saharanpur man.

Meanwhile, Tanishq’s Mohali friend, whom he met last before his death, continued to claim that he knows nothing about the incident.

Suspense remains over weapon’s misplacement

Sources in the Panchkula police told HT that even as the weapon was misplaced from the Khamanon police station, the NRI’s brother was forced to make a police complaint that it was stolen after he took it back.

The man revealed this during interrogation, said sources.“It is important to find as to how the weapon got misplaced in Fatehgarh Sahib since it is a crime not to keep a licensed weapon in safe custody,” said a police official.