In dispute over money, 2 men beat friend to death

Times News Network
Ludhiana: Two men thrashed their friend of Rudra Enclave in Sahnewal to death. According to the police, the accused are drug addicts and beat up the victim when he allegedly refused to pay back the borrowed money. The police on Friday arrested one accused while his accomplice is at large.
The deceased was identified as Manoj Singh Bhardwaj, 45, a factory worker who hailed from Bihar and had been living in Ludhiana for the past several years with his wife, Anu Devi, and three children.
The police have arrested accused Sandeep Singh Gopi, 40, an autorickshaw driver of Mahadev Nagar, Dhandari, under Section 302 (murder) of the IPC. His accomplice, Murgi, is on the run.
Anu Devi alleged that her husband had left the factory around 9.30pm on July 20. On way home, he met Gopi and Murgi, who took him to Gopi’s house. There, they thrashed Manoj and taking him for dead, abandoned him in the area.
She added, “However, my husband returned to consciousness and managed to reach a nearby clinic, from where he called me and narrated the incident. Thereafter, he was shifted to a hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries on June 22. Before dying, he told me that Gopi was an addict and he was asking for money to get drugs. When he refused, Gopi thrashed him and snatched the money.”
Inspector Inderjit Singh, SHO of Sahnewal police station, said Manoj had internal injuries and the police received his autopsy report on Friday and then registered a murder case. “The police have arrested Gopi, who has stated that Manoj had borrowed Rs 3,000 from him which he was not returning. On June 20, he and Murgi met Manoj and they took him to his house in an auto, where they consumed liquor. After having some drinks, Manoj and Gopi had an argument over the money, thereafter they thrashed Manoj,” the inspector added.