Missing for two days, kabaddi player’s body found at Shahkot police station

In a shocking incident, the decomposed body of a 26-year-old kabaddi player was found in the Shahkot police station complex on Sunday.

Advertisement

The victim, Gurbhej Singh, alias Bheja, of Bajwa Kalan village of Shahkot,worked as a helper there. The police allegedly kept the matter under wraps for two days.

After getting the post-mortem done on Monday morning, the police handed over the body to the family. The last rites too were performed on Monday evening.

Shahkot DSP Onkar Singh Brar claimed that the youth could have died after being stung by a poisonous insect or snake.

The youth, who was a regular at a gym, had been informally working as the helper. “On July 4, there was a fair at Danewal village near here. Our entire staff had been deployed on security duty there. Even Gurbhej went there but he did not return home till the evening. His family reported he was missing,” said the DSP.

“On Sunday evening, the body was found in a store when a foul smell started emanating from the area,” said the DSP.

Gurbhej, whose father is a granthi at a Shahkot gurdwara, had lost his mother earlier. One of his sisters had been murdered. Though there were some unconfirmed reports that he could have consumed some intoxicants in a high dose, the DSP ruled it out.

Asked why the matter was not revealed to the media, Brar said, “We told local reporters about it when we were asked about Gurbhej. There was no reason to hide the issue. There should be no suspicion about it.”

DIG, Jalandhar Range, Naveen Singla, said, “Preliminary signs suggest that Gurbhej may have died due to a bite from a poisonous insect or animal. The area where the body was found is rarely accessed by our staff. Gurbhej was a strong, athletic young man and a good kabaddi player. We always tried to support him. The exact cause of death will be confirmed once the post-mortem report is available.”