Nikhil Bhardwaj
Ludhiana, October 1
One of the two suspects who recently nabbed by the Ludhiana police on the charge of killing a factory worker at Jaspal Bangar village, near Sahnewal, allegedly died by suicide in a lockup on the CIA premises near the office of the Commissioner of Police early this morning.
After the incident, the deceased’s kin had levelled allegations of his torture by the police, which allegedly led to his death. His family alleged that if the lockup area was under CCTV camera surveillance, the police should show the footage to them to clear the air behind the mysterious death.
On September 28, the police had nabbed Jatinder Kumar Chotu (29) and Paramjit (27) who had barged into the nuts and bolts manufacturing factory to commit a loot. The suspects had looted a huge stock of nuts and bolts and while fleeing, they had a confrontation with the factory worker, Bhawani (35), during which the suspects had shot him dead.
Within 24 hours of the crime, the police had solved the case by arresting the suspects. The illegal weapon used in the crime was also recovered by the police, along with the mini-truck in which the duo had loaded the looted nuts and bolts.
Sources said the suspects were on police remand and they were kept in the lockup on the CIA-1 premises. Early on Saturday morning when one of the suspects, Paramjit, was sleeping, the other suspect, Chotu, took two thin blankets and ripped them from sides. He joined them to use it like a rope. Later, Chotu tied the same with iron bars of the lockup and its other end around his neck, then hanged himself to death. When the other suspect noticed the hanging body, he raised an alarm and called police personnel. Police Commissioner Kaustubh Sharma said a preliminary probe suggested that Chotu had died by suicide and now, a judicial probe would be conducted.
Deceased Jatinder Kumar Chotu’s mother Kaushalya and wife Salma said: “We suspect that the police might have physically tortured him following which he either died or took the extreme step. A high-level probe should be initiated and responsibility should be fixed.” The suspect, Chotu, had two daughters and a son.
Both suspects had stolen 9 weapons from gunhouse
A police official said after the arrest of both suspects in the factory worker murder case, when the police started a probe to inquire about the weapon used by the suspects to kill a worker, they had initially claimed that they found the weapon from agricultural fields.
However, during further questioning, they confessed that they had committed a theft at a gunhouse in Dirba, Sangrur, over a month ago from where they had stolen nine weapons. Of these, one was used by the suspects to kill the worker. Four weapons were dumped in some village pond by the duo. Police teams with the help of residents are already searching the same. Four of these were reportedly recovered by the police from the house of one of the suspects, the official said.
Deceased’s kin allege police torture
Deceased’s mother and wife said Chotu could not die by suicide. We suspect that the police might have physically tortured him. Cops were claiming that the lockup where he took the extreme step is under CCTV surveillance but they refused to show the footage to the family.
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