Phagwara (Punjab), May 7 (UNI) The Kapurthala police headed by SSP Gaurav Toora recovered the bodies of two persons, allegedly victims of a kidnapping gang, and arrested four key accused within days of the crime, unraveling a chilling plot.
The bodies of a lawyer Sanjeev Kumar and his friend Anju Paul, who had gone missing from AGI Flats in Phagwara on the night of April 19-20, were recovered on Tuesday late evening from a field in village Chahar, district Ludhiana.
The recovery followed sustained interrogation and technical analysis that exposed the involvement of a criminal gang led by Harwinder Singh, a parolee with a record of violent crimes, police said.
The SSP said the police acted on confessions and electronic evidence. "A police team led by SP (D) Kapurthala located the burial site in the presence of executive magistrate and forensic experts. This marked the final chapter in a case that unfolded with rapid investigation process.
The turning point came 24 hours after the case was formally registered on April 24, following a complaint by Sudesh Kumar, father of victim Sanjeev. His report, combined with the eye-witness account of Palakdeep, daughter of Anju Paul, revealed that the duo had been abducted at gun point by three masked men.
Toora said the initial breakthrough came with the identification and arrest of four accused -- Kuldeep alias Billa, Balraj Kaur, Rupinder alias Pinda, and the main conspirator Harwinder Singh. Harwinder, who had fled to Gujarat, was arrested in coordination with that state's police.
Harwinder was brought back to Punjab on transit remand. His eight-day interrogation proved crucial, police said.
Despite misleading investigators by initially claiming the victims were thrown into the Rajasthan feeder canal, Harwinder eventually confessed to strangling them in a secluded Ludhiana field, along with co-accused Manjot Singh alias Fruity and Jagseer alias Kalu. The crime, police alleged, was premeditated and executed with chilling precision.
Further arrests followed. On April 25, Jashanpreet Singh alias Jassu, who provided logistical support and disposed of the vehicle in the abduction, was nabbed. Manjot Singh was later arrested on May 5.
Investigations have also revealed that Harwinder Singh, previously convicted in a 2012 double murder case and sentenced to life imprisonment, committed this crime while out on parole, a fact that has sparked wider concerns about parole oversight.
All key accused are in police custody and further interrogation is going on.
UNI GS XC PRS