Chheharta murder accused nabbed after police encounter

In a major breakthrough, the Amritsar Police Commissionerate arrested the main shooter and his associate involved in the murder of Varinder Singh, who was shot dead on Tuesday near the historic Gurdwara Chheharta Sahib here.

With these arrests, the total number of accused held in the case has risen to four.

Varinder Singh was returning home after dropping his children at school when two motorcycle-borne assailants fired at him, leaving him critically injured. He later succumbed to his injuries during treatment at a private hospital. A case under relevant sections of the BNS and the Arms Act was registered in this regard.

Sharing details, Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said during investigation, the police first arrested Gurlal Singh and his wife Paramjit Kaur. Acting swiftly on further leads, the police apprehended the main shooter, Jobanpreet Singh, alias Joban, and his associate Sukhbir Singh, both aged 22 and residents of Batala in Gurdaspur district.

Neither of them had any previous criminal record, confirmed the police.

Bhullar said during interrogation, Jobanpreet disclosed the location where he had hidden the Austria-made Glock 9mm pistol used in the crime. He claimed the weapon was unloaded and agreed to get it recovered. However, upon reaching the spot, he suddenly grabbed the concealed pistol and fired at head constable Gurinder Singh, narrowly missing him.

In self-defence, Lovepreet Singh, SHO, Chheharta, fired at the accused, injuring him in the right leg. The accused was immediately taken to the hospital for treatment. The Glock pistol was subsequently recovered from the site.

Police investigation has revealed that the shooters were hired by the main accused, Nishan Singh, allegedly residing abroad, who lured them with the promise of facilitating their travel to Dubai. Nishan Singh, believed to be the key conspirator behind the murder, is the husband of Arshdeep Kaur.

The couple had a marital dispute and Varinder Singh, the maternal uncle of Arshdeep Kaur, was pursuing the case. Varinder wanted the custody of the child. This was the root cause behind the murder, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Investigations) Ravinder Pal Singh Sandhu.

Paramjit Kaur, who is sister of Nishan Singh, and her husband Gurlal Singh were the co-conspirators, the police alleged.