Murder case: Swift police action leads to arrest of three suspects

A day after a youth was gunned down and his companion critically wounded, the Amritsar police commissionerate have arrested three suspects in the murder.

Swift police action led to the arrest of Rajat, alias Babbar (19), of Nehru Colony, Aditya Kumar (19) of DS Estate and Sudhansu Sharma, alias Brahman (23), of Majitha Road here.

During quizzing, Sudhansu disclosed the location where they had hidden the arms used in the crime, leading to the recovery of three pistols (.30 bore, .32 bore, .45 bore) and live cartridges.

The recovery operation, however, turned dramatic when Sudhansu allegedly snatched the revolver of senior constable Guriqbal Singh and fired at the cops. Mohkampura SHO Harparkash Singh immediately retaliated with his service pistol, injuring the accused in the right leg. He was later admitted to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital under tight security.

Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said raids are being conducted to arrest their two absconding accomplices who have been identified by the police. He said an old enmity is stated to be the reason behind the murder.

Panic gripped the city after the midnight firing incident — near Mall Mandi area, where exist the offices of State Special Operation Cell, Anti-Narcotic Task Force and Counter Intelligence — in which a youth was killed and another seriously injured. The police said the motorcycle-borne assailants ambushed a car, killing 27-year-old Namish Sareen of East Mohan Nagar on the spot, while his companion Harpreet Singh, alias Ganja, of Dashmesh Nagar sustained critical bullet injuries.

Duo was travelling in a Creta car (PB02-EX-9912) around 12.15 am on Thursday when 5-6 armed men opened indiscriminate firing at them and fled. PCR officials rushed the injured to Escort Hospital where Harpreet is still under treatment.

Police officials said Harpreet Singh, along with his brother, had earlier been convicted in 2012 in a murder case and was released from jail only three years ago. In December, Gurpreet was gunned down allegedly by his rivals Sachin, Romi and Honey who were later booked by the police.

The police suspect that Romi, who now lives in a foreign country, was threatening to prevent Harpreet from testifying in a court. Harpreet had received multiple threats but he went on to pursue the case.

Following the murder, members of A-category gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria had claimed the responsibility of the murder. Police officials said they were investigating the case from all possible angles.