Youth shot dead near Beas bridge, probe begins

A youth was shot dead by unidentified assailants on the service lane built under the Beas bridge on late Friday night.

According to information, a group of men travelling in a Hyundai Creta car arrived at the spot, shot the victim and fled the scene. On Saturday morning, nearby residents found the body lying in a pool of blood and alerted the police.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Amritsar (Rural), Maninder Singh said a probe has been initiated and closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from the surrounding areas is being examined. He assured that the accused would be traced and arrested soon.

Initial probe revealed that the CCTV footage shown a few men stepping out of a Creta car and walking along the lane. They were seen having an argument with the victim while talking to someone on their phones. Moments later, the accused took the victim to a dark, isolated area and shot him dead before fleeing the spot in their car.

When morning walkers reached the service lane today, they spotted the body drenched in blood. The deceased had a tattoo on his neck bearing the name “Gopi”. No mobile phone or identification documents were recovered from his possession.

Preliminary investigation suggests that the murder might have been the result of a monetary dispute or an illicit relationship.

The police suspect the killers dumped the body on the spot to conceal the victim’s identity. The body has been sent for a postmortem. The police have launched a hunt to nab the culprits.