Cleaner murders driver, sets body on fire

Our Correspondent

Phagwara, June 4

A cleaner who allegedly murdered truck driver Satnam Singh of Taran Taran and set the body on fire near Goraya on May 25 was arrested on Saturday. The accused also threw the half-burnt body in the garbage at Gohawar village near Goraya after killing the driver.

DSP Phillaur Jagdish Raj said the cleaner was identified as Pankaj who killed his colleague only for money. Ram Murti of Chachrari village noticed the body. He informed Sarpanch Sukhdeep Kaur about the incident, who called the police.

The police got the body identified through social media. The deceased was working with a gas cylinder company.

Balwinder Singh, brother of the deceased, told the police that Satnam had left the house two days ago saying he had to bring an oxygen cylinder to Jalandhar. The cleaner, identified as Pankaj, was accompanying the driver. The DSP said around Rs 1.5 lakh was also found missing which the driver had collected after delivering oxygen gas cylinders in Jalandhar.

The SP said the police recovered the truck near Ludhiana, while the suspect, Pankaj, was still absconding.

SHO Surinder Kumar said the Goraya police had registered a case under Sections 302 and 201 of the IPC against the accused Pankaj. The body was today handed over to the family members after post-mortem examination at the Phillaur Civil Hospital.

DSP Jagdish Raj said the police have also recovered Rs 67,000 and a sharp-edged weapon like knife used for the crime. — OC

50 liquor boxes seized, 4 nabbed

The Phillaur police arrested four liquor smugglers and recovered 50 boxes of Power Star Fine whisky from their possession on Sunday. DSP Phillaur Jagdish Raj said that the arrested accused were identified as Lal Chand alias Lally, a resident of village Haripur, Vijay Kumar, Gurdip Singh and Ravi Kumar, all residents of village Pojewal. The DSP said that the arrested accused were bringing whisky from Chandigarh to sell it in various parts of the region at higher rates. The police have also impounded their car. A case under the Excise Act has been registered.