Tiff with stranger led to double murder

Tribune News Service

Mohali, October 26

A tiff with a stranger led to the double murder of senior journalist KJ Singh (65) and his mother Gurcharan Kaur (92) here.

The Mohali police claimed to have cracked the case by arresting an unemployed youth of Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh, Gaurav Kumar (28), currently residing at Kajheri village in Chandigarh, and recovered victim KJ Singh’s Ford Ikon car (PB 65A 0164), his two credit cards, an ATM card, two mobile phones of both victims, a kitchen knife, with which KJ Singh was stabbed at least 17 times, a watch, a set-top box of Airtel and a camera flash from his possession.

The accused was nabbed near Homeland Apartments, opposite Singh Shaheedan Gurdwara at Sohana, when a PCR team intercepted the Ford Ikon car around 12.30 pm today. Policemen got suspicious after seeing the car’s fake registration number (PB 64A 6474) and during a search, a car service slip with the name of KJ Singh was found in it. The police nabbed him and informed senior officials. Later, the police recovered KJ Singh’s belongings from the house of the accused at Kajheri village.

KJ Singh had 17 stab wounds, his throat was slit and three fingers chopped while Gurcharan Kaur was found strangled at their residence at Phase 3B2 here. The crime took place around 10.40 pm on a rainy night on September 22.

Mohali SSP Kuldeep Singh Chahal said the accused, who went to Georgia around a month ago, confessed before the police that he was sitting in the green belt adjoining KJ Singh’s corner house since the afternoon on the fateful day when the latter objected to it and a tiff ensued. “According to Gaurav Kumar’s statement, KJ Singh had slapped him following which he decided to take revenge,” said the SSP.

Mohali SP Harbir Singh Atwal, who was coordinating with all teams working to solve the case, said a Sikh gentleman had also told the police about the slapping incident during the investigation.

SP Atwal said Gaurav Kumar claimed that he was running short of money and was very upset. “The insult at the hands of KJ Singh provoked Gaurav to take revenge. When Gaurav came to know that only two elderly persons (KJ and his mother) lived in the house, he returned to take revenge,” said the SP.

Though the accused told the police that he had purchased the knife used in the crime from the Sector 19 market on September 19, the police feel he is telling a lie. “We suspect he bought the knife from a shop at the Phase 3B2 market after the tiff with KJ Singh. We are investigating the matter,” said the SP.   A case under Sections 302 and 34 of the IPC has been registered at the Mataur police station.