Cops: No proof to discern charred body’s identity

MOHALI: There is no evidence to prove that the charred body is Nagender’s, police said on Monday.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kuldeep Singh Chahal said, “Technically and physically the body has not been identified, as the face has been completely charred. We also don’t have any concrete evidence of the dead man being Nagender. At present, only circumstantial evidence and the claims made by his wife are pointing towards the body being Nagendra’s. We are left with DNA test now and are approaching the Punjab government to get the process expedited so that the investigation is conclusive.”

On January 3, a burnt body, suspected to be of Nagender’s, was found in a factory in Industrial Area, Phase I, Mohali.

The SSP said that money lending might have led to the victim’s murder. Police are presuming that the victim may have been killed at a spot away from where the body was found and then dragged it to the spot and set it afire.

The only evidence that the police have is that Nagendra is missing and before going to meet his friend at the factory, he had told his wife and another friend about the same.

“All angles are being probed. We are not negating the fact that Nagender’s death may have been faked as money dispute in involved in the case. At present, investigation is leading us to the probability of the body being Nagendra’s,” the SSP said, adding that the police are also looking into other missing complaint from the area and finding more clues about the accused or his accomplices.

The postmortem report revealed that the victim was first stabbed to death and then his body was set on fire.