Spate of deaths rattle city

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana August 16

An 18-year-old boy’s body was found floating in the Sutlej between Majara Kalan and Talwandi Kalan. The police have registered a murder case against unidentified persons. 

Since the missing complaint of the boy was already registered at Kathgarh police station, the Ladowal police, after registering a zero FIR, have transferred the case file to the Kathgarh police station in Nawahshahr.

SHO Kathgarh police station Swinder Pal said the boy identified as Lovepreet Singh, son of Raj Kumar of Bachuya village in Nawanshahr, went missing a few days ago. He eloped with the girl he was reportedly in love. 

“The family had already reported the matter to our police station. We were also looking for the boy and the girl. Recently, the boy’s motorcycle was found near the Sutlej in Kathgarh, Nawanshahr, which established a doubt that the boy could have drowned in the river. We are not ruling out murder, but it could also be possible that the boy died by drowning. We are probing as to how the boy drowned,” the SHO said. 

As per the information, the matter came to light when a professional diver Joginderpal, a resident of Panjdhera village, Phillaur, noticed a body floating in the river on August 14. 

“I knew that a boy called Lovepreet was missing and that his kin suspected that he could have drowned. When I noticed a body, I fished it out and immediately called the family and asked for an identification mark. There were sharp injury marks on the body and he could have been murdered. After the family confirmed about the identification mark —  a leaf imprint on the hand with the boy’s date of birth ‘3-8-2000’ — they immediately reached the spot,” Joginderpal said.

SHO Swinder said it was yet to be established whether it was a murder or a natural death by drowning.

SHO Ladowal Varindepal Singh said the matter was transferred to the Kathgarh police after registering a zero FIR here and now, further probe would be conducted by the Kathgarh police only.