‘Prabhkirat was kidnapped, murdered for easy money’

PK Jaiswar

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, August 14

Prabhkirat Singh (16) was kidnapped and murdered for easy money and not for drug abuse, claimed police authorities here on Wednesday.

Day after the shocking incident, the police said that preliminary interrogation revealed that the accused wanted to have easy money by way of demanding ransom after kidnapping the teen.

The police on Wednesday confirmed the arrest of three persons, including a minor. Among those arrested include Gautam Soni, alias Deepu, and Narayan, alias Ajay, both residents of Guru Nanak Nagar, Verka. A case under Sections 302, 201 and 34 of the IPC was registered against them.

They were produced in a local court, which sent them to three-day police remand. The police have recovered the car used in the crime and the gas pipe which was used for his strangulation. The police also recovered the scooter of the victim.

JS Walia, Additional Deputy Commissioner of police, said that Gautam was the master mind of the crime. The accused did not have any criminal record.

Baljit Singh, father of the deceased, stated to the police that his son was a Class XI student and about 8 pm Prabhkirat went to play cricket at Government Senior Secondary School, Verka, on his scooter (PB-02-CY-9559) but didn’t return. He tried to find his son but can’t. Later, he came to know that the accused bundled his son in a car (PB18-K-2896) and strangulated him. They throw his body in Fategarh Shukar Chak Canal, he added. Baljit picked his son from near canal and admitted him to a hospital where doctors declared Prabhkirat brought dead.

The police sources said the father of one of the accused was a drug trafficker and at least three cases under the NDPS Act were registered against him, while the remaining suspects also did not enjoy good family reputation.