Chandigarh resident murdered in Shimla; killer absconding

A Chandigarh resident was murdered by his cousin in Shimla, police said here today.

The victim has been identified as Akash Sharma, a resident of Sector 26, Chandigarh while the accused has been identified as Arjun Sharma, a resident of Sector 10 Panchkula.

According to reports, on June 11, both of them reached Shimla and checked into a hotel near Dhalli Tunnel. On June 13, both of them had an altercation, following which Arjun allegedly murdered Akash by slitting his throat and striking him on the head with a beer bottle. Akash died on the spot while Arjun fled from the hotel.

At around 10 am, the hotel received a call requesting staff to check a room, as both guests' mobile phones were switched off. Acting on this information, the hotel staff entered the room and found the bodies. A police team from Dhalli police station arrived at the hotel, collected evidence, and reviewed the CCTV footage.

Shimla ASP Rattan Negi confirmed the information and said a case under Section 103 (murder) of the BNS has been registered against the accused, who is absconding. He said that efforts are underway to arrest the accused and further investigation is under process.

Both the accused and the victim are aged 22-23 years and had come to Shimla to celebrate a birthday. Negi added that the person who contacted the hotel had stated that Arjun had confessed to his family that he had killed Akash.