Death of two liquor smugglers turns out to be planned killings in Ludhiana

The incident involving the death of two illicit liquor smugglers has turned out to be a case of planned killings, allegedly orchestrated by the henchmen of a liquor contractor. The smugglers had died after their car plunged into the Sirhind Feeder Canal in Samrala.

Initially, the police treated it as an accident. However, after the kin of the deceased suspected a conspiracy and raised questions over the incident, the police found that henchmen of a liquor contractor had intentionally rammed their vehicle into the smugglers’ vehicle, causing it to plunge into the canal and killing both occupants.

The police have now registered a case against the Bolero driver and other associates of a liquor contractor on the charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The police have also booked the two deceased youths and arrested a Faridkot resident, Sandeep Kumar, under the Excise Act. The illicit liquor being transported by the two smugglers allegedly belonged to him.

The complainant, Rimpi Singh of Sikhwala village in Kotkapura, Faridkot, told the police that his son Vikasdeep Singh and nephew Akashdeep Singh were travelling in an Innova carrying 50 boxes of illicit liquor allegedly belonging to Sandeep in the early hours of July 24. Sandeep was travelling ahead in an SUV.

Singh alleged that, as per the conspiracy, the Innova was deliberately hit by the Bolero belonging to a liquor contractor from the Samrala area.

Samrala SHO Inspector Harwinder Singh said that acting on the complaint, the Samrala police registered a case under Sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of the BNS, along with relevant provisions of the Excise Act. “The two smugglers were carrying Sandeep’s illicit liquor and were hit by men of a liquor contractor from the Samrala area, as illicit liquor was being transported in the Innova,” he said.