Out on parole, murder convict shot dead in Amritsar’s Chhehrata 

Dharmjit, alias Dharma, a murder convict who was out on parole, was shot dead by three motorcycle-borne assailants at Hukam Chand Colony in Chhehrata late Thursday night, officials said.

The assailants fled the spot after committing the crime.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the murder was allegedly committed on the instructions of gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, currently lodged in Dibrugarh jail, though the police said a probe was still on.

Dharma and his associates had reportedly clashed with Jaggu during their imprisonment in Amritsar jail. The rivalry is believed to have led to the killing, allegedly executed by Bhagwanpuria’s henchmen.

In 2012, an ASI, Ravinder Singh, was shot dead in Chhehrata in front of his daughter. Then Akali leader Ranjit Singh Rana was the prime accused in the case, while Dharma was his accomplice. Both had been sentenced to life imprisonment in the case.

Dharma had been granted parole multiple times in the past. He was released on parole on September 12. On Thursday night, he was ambushed outside his house in his car. According to eyewitnesses, the assailants had been following Dharma on their motorcycle. When he stopped outside his house, they opened indiscriminate fire, killing him on the spot.

Dharma’s wife Pallavi has demanded a probe into the death and action against the culprits.

Following the incident, Assistant Commissioner of Police Shivdarshan Singh and Chheharta SHO Vinod Sharma reached the spot.

The police are scanning the footage of the CCTV cameras installed in the area to find clues about the perpetrators of the crime.