Murder convict held after faking suicide
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A murder convict who staged a fake suicide to assume a new identity was arrested near Zirakpur, Chandigarh, yesterday, as revealed by Bhagat Singh Thakur, Superintendent of Police. The convict, Mandeep Singh, hails from a village in Bhoranj subdivision and had been serving a life sentence since 2012 for the murder of Subhash Verma, a contractor with the IPH Department, in Shimla in 2011.
Mandeep was sentenced to life imprisonment by the additional district judge and was released on parole on December 31, 2013. However, he failed to return to prison after the parole period ended, leading the court to declare him a Proclaimed Offender in 2014 under Section 379 of the IPC. That same year, a theft case was also registered against him.
In May 2017, Mandeep attempted to fake his death by leaving his belongings, a motorcycle, a helmet, and a suicide note on the roadside near Thalot village in Mandi district. This initially misled the police, but sustained vigilance revealed that he had assumed a new identity and was living in a village near Chandigarh. During this time, he even purchased an Innova car under his false credentials.
SP Thakur stated that Mandeep’s wife, parents, and in-laws are suspected to have been aware of and supported his fraudulent activities. The police are investigating their involvement in the staged suicide. Mandeep has been presented in court and remanded to five days of police custody. Further investigations are underway to uncover the full extent of his deception and the role of his family members.
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