Missing youth’s body found on roadside

The Salem Tabri police have initiated a probe into murder of a youth who was reported missing since Monday and his body was recovered in a gunny bag dumped alongside the Kasabad-Noorwala road on Thursday.

The deceased was identified as Suraj Kumar, alias Manoj (24), who was at present staying in Ludhiana. He used to stitch buttons at a ready-made garment factory here.

Though the police are yet to ascertain the sequence of events leading to the murder, his illicit relationship with a colleague is suspected to be the reason behind the murder.

Perusal of an FIR registered at the Salem Tabri police station under various sections of the BNS revealed that Suraj had gone missing on Monday and his family had come to know about his murder when they identified the body recovered by the police on Thursday.

Deceased’s brother Ashwani Kumar, on whose statement the police had registered a murder case against unidentified persons, has now accused the husband of a colleague of the victim of committing the murder.

The accused, yet to be named in the FIR, suspected that his wife and the victim had developed an illicit relationship while working together in the factory.

The complainant alleged that the suspect had developed a fake friendship with Suraj with an ulterior motive of killing him. He sent his wife to his native village and called Suraj to his home on the pretext of having drinks. It is suspected that the victim was served some drug-laced drinks and then attacked with sharp weapons.

The investigating police, led by SHO Harashveer, are yet to declare the identity of the prime suspect and his accomplice, if any.

The police have seized two gunny bags, an electric wire and a plastic tub from near the body, which has been kept at the mortuary for autopsy.