Akansh Sen murder case: Balraj Randhawa may have fled to another country, says victim’s father

Accused Balraj Singh Randhawa; his house in Sector 77, Mohali. (File photo)

“WHENEVER WE met Chandigarh Police personnel, we found they had apprehensions that the main accused, Balraj Singh Randhawa, has escaped to another country from India and that’s the reason why they failed to arrest him even nine months after the murder,” said Arun Sen, the father of Akansh Sen who was killed after being run over by a BMW, driven by Randhawa, in February this year, on Wednesday, the day after murder charges were framed against co-accused Harmehtab Singh alias Farid by a court on Tuesday.

Arun Sen, brother-in-law of Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, said, “There is something missing on the part of efforts of the Chandigarh police to trace Randhawa, the main accused in the killing of my son. We sense from their versions that they believe that Randhawa might have fled to some other country. I have already met Punjab Governor and UT Administrator V P Singh Badnore twice to pursue the case of my son’s murder.”

Arun added, “I and my relatives have been attending court proceedings regularly and we are satisfied to see that murder charges were framed against Randhawa’s co-accused, Harmehtab Singh Farid, despite the opposition of the defence counsel, who wanted charges of road accident framed.”

Arun Sen, who belongs to the princely state of Kuthad in Solan district, spoke to Chandigarh Newsline a day after murder charges were framed against Farid, lodged at Model Burail Jail. Arun’s daughter has also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention and also got a reply from the PMO five months back.

Randhawa has gone missing since the murder of Akansh, who was run over by a BMW driven by Randhawa and Farid on the front seat, at Sector 9 on February 9. Randhawa has been declared proclaimed offender and a price of Rs 50,000 has been placed on his head.

DSP (Central) Ram Gopal, who is supervising the investigation, said, “Till now, we have failed to locate Randhawa. The chances of Randhawa escaping to a foreign country is very thin because a lookout notice was already issued against him to all airports and sea ports.”

When asked whether efforts to trace Randhawa in another country were on, he said a red corner notice can be issued against any suspect if the latter’s presence in a foreign country is established.

His sisters settled abroad

Balraj Singh Randhawa, a law graduate and former student of DAV College-10, is the youngest of three siblings, including two sisters, who are married and settled abroad. His father passed away when he was only two years old. Police sources said Randhawa’s mother Ramanjeet was also not present at their house at Akal Ashram Colony, Sohana, in Mohali, when police visited the place a few days ago.