Panchkula cops make first arrest in Amravati Mall murder case

The local police have got a breakthrough in the Amravati Mall murder case of June 5 with the arrest of Sameer Khan on Wednesday evening. The suspect, Sameer, was residing on rent in the Saini locality of Pinjore.

However, the prime accused, Piyush Piplani and Ankush, who claimed the responsibility for the attack in videos posted on the social media, are at large.

The DCP Crime, Amit Dahiya, said Sameer was presented before the court today and remanded in five-day police custody. During the hearing, Nitin, alias Prince — the complainant and cousin of Naulta — confirmed Sameer’s presence at the crime scene. He testified that the suspect was present at the scene when Sonu was shot dead and was directly involved in the attack. Prince was shot in the leg during the attack.

The police are conducting raids to nab the remaining accused. A case under murder charge and the Arms Act has been registered against Sameer at the Pinjore police station.

Meanwhile, a special investigation team (SIT) was constituted on Tuesday under the supervision of ACP Crime Arvind Kamboj to probe the case. Initial investigations revealed that Sameer got acquainted with Piyush and subsequently with Ankush Solanki. They, along with one more accomplice, allegedly conspired to eliminate Sonu in a bid to assert their dominance in the area.

According to the DCP Crime, the accused conducted a recce of their target in a car before the murder. On the night of June 5, they shot Sonu outside Amravati Mall, where he had come to watch a film, killing him on the spot. On the same night, they reportedly uploaded a video on the social media from their mobile phone, and the police promptly traced the IP address.

While fleeing the scene in their car, one of the accused accidentally discharged his weapon, injuring Piyush in the hand. The following day, the accused abandoned their vehicle on the PGI campus in Chandigarh. The police recovered the car and found a bullet shell in it.

Dahiya said besides SIT, eight special teams under his supervision have been carrying out raids across several locations in Himachal Pradesh, especially in Baddi and Parwanoo, as well as in Chandigarh and Mohali. The teams are interrogating suspects, relatives and close acquaintances of the accused. The police are also gathering crucial details from accomplices involved in the previous criminal cases registered against Ankush and Piyush.