3 murders in 24 hours rock Amritsar

PK Jaiswar

Amritsar, June 12

A day after a grocer was shot dead by an AAP volunteer on 100-feet road, the holy city was rocked by two murders in the past 24 hours, raising a question mark over the functioning of the city police.

While a Dubai-based NRI was shot dead by four unidentified assailants, a woman was strangled to death in Gwal Mandi area near Putlighar by unidentified thieves who decamped with cash and jewellery kept in the house.

The victim was identified as Kamini Devi (65). She was alone in the house as her nephew had gone to Pathankot for some work. She runs a grocery shop in the house. Besides, a family lives as a tenant on the first floor of the house.

When she did not open the shop this morning, her neighbour got suspicious. When they asked the tenant living on the first floor about the shop remaining closed, they expressed ignorance. Then nearby residents called the police that got the shutters of the shop and the door of the house opened. They found her dead. There were strangulation marks on her body. Jewellery she was wearing was also missing. The unidentified accused also broke open the almirah and took away cash and ornaments.

Geetanzali Vij, a relative of the victim, said she got information from her neighbours around 8.45 pm that unidentified persons decamped with gold ornaments worth lakhs of rupees, besides cash from almirahs. They also took away the jewellery she was wearing. She said apparently she identified the thieves who later strangled her to death.

Rajwinder Kaur, SHO, Cantonment police station, said following a preliminary probe it appeared that some drug addict killed her while stealing items from the house. She would have identified the suspect. Further investigations were in progress.

In the wee hours, a Dubai-based NRI was shot dead by armed assailants in Ghanupur Kale area when he along with his family was going to pay obeisance at a shrine in Chheharta this morning.

Three back-to-back murders expose an alarming deterioration in the law and order situation since the day the AAP government took over. Incidents of snatchings and robberies are on the increase. There is a sense of insecurity among the residents, especially woman and trading community.

Police Commissioner Arun Pal Singh said the police had arrested the prime accused in yesterday’s murder while the Dubai NRI murder case was also solved. He said the police also got clues about the Gwal Mandi murder case. He said nobody would be allowed to create law and order problems in the city. He said strict action would be taken against those who committed crimes.

Dubai-based NRI shot dead

A Dubai-based NRI Harinder Singh was shot dead by armed assailants in Ghanupur Kale area when he along with his family was going to pay obeisance at a shrine in Chheharta on Sunday morning.

AAP incapable of maintaining law & order, says Congress MP Aujla

District MP Gurjeet Aujla condemned the deteriorating law and order situation in Punjab while pointing out that the AAP government had failed miserably in maintaining law and order. “The AAP is incapable of maintaining law and order in Punjab,” he said. The Punjab Government was being run from Delhi. He said Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann should not act like a puppet at the hands of national AAP convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The CM should take decisions on his own for the sake of Punjab.

Mann failed to deliver: Sarkar

Minister of State for Education Dr Subhash Sarkar has stated that the law and order situation is going out of control in the state as the Bhagwant Mann government has failed to deliver the goods. Addressing mediapersons at the district BJP office here on Sunday, he apprised them of different social welfare schemes being offered by the Narendra Modi government. Senior BJP leader Avinash Rai Khanna, endorsing the stand of Dr Sarkar, said daily crime graph pointed towards deteriorating law and order.