Suresh Raina, who pulled out of the IPL citing personal reasons, took to Twitter Tuesday demanding a probe into the incident. (Express Photo by Kevin D'Souza)A cousin of Suresh Raina succumbed to his injuries at a private hospital in Punjab’s Pathankot late Monday, days after the former Indian cricketer’s relatives were attacked by robbers in the night intervening August 19 and 20 in which his uncle was killed.
As Raina, who pulled out of the IPL citing personal reasons, took to Twitter Tuesday demanding a probe into the incident, the Punjab Police formed a four-member special investigation team (SIT).
“What happened to my family in Punjab was beyond horrible. My uncle was slaughtered to death, my bua & both my cousins had sever (sic) injuries. Unfortunately my cousin also passed away last night after battling for life for days. My bua (aunt) is still very very critical & is on life support,” the 33-year-old cricketer said.
“Till date we don’t know what exactly had happened that night & who did this. I request @PunjabPoliceInd to look into this matter. We at least deserve to know who did this heinous act to them. Those criminals should not be spared to commit more crimes. @capt_amarinder @CMOPb,” he added, tagging Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh.
What happened to my family is Punjab was beyond horrible. My uncle was slaughtered to death, my bua & both my cousins had sever injuries. Unfortunately my cousin also passed away last night after battling for life for days. My bua is still very very critical & is on life support.
— Suresh Raina🇮🇳 (@ImRaina) September 1, 2020
Raina returned to the country last week from the UAE, where the IPL will begin on September 19. In his first statement since landing in the country, Raina, however, did not say that the attack the reason why he came back.
The CM assured the cricketer that those behind the brutal attack will be brought to justice. “Condole the brutal attack on kin of @ImRaina in Pathankot. Have ordered SIT probe into the case and have asked @DGPPunjabPolice to identify & arrest the culprits at the earliest. Beta, my DC & SSP have met the family and we will make sure that the guilty are brought to justice,” he said in a tweet.
Condole the brutal attack on kin of @ImRaina in Pathankot. Have ordered SIT probe into the case and have asked @DGPPunjabPolice to identify & arrest the culprits at the earliest. Beta, my DC & SSP have met the family and we will make sure that the guilty are brought to justice.
— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) September 1, 2020
Raina’s uncle Ashok Kumar, 58, had suffered head injuries and died on the spot when three to four members of the notorious “Kale Kachhewala” gang attacked them while they was sleeping on the terrace of their house at Pathankot’s Thariyal village. Four other members of the family were also injured in the attack.
Kaushal Kumar, 32, the elder son of Ashok, died Monday night at a private hospital, Pathankot SSP Gulneet Singh Khurana said.
The SSP said Ashok’s wife Asha Devi is critical while their second son Apin, 28, is out of danger. “The second son has undergone surgery for an injury to his jaw,” Khurana said.
Ashok’s mother Satya Devi, 80, has been discharged from hospital.
Police had lodged an FIR under sections 460, 459, and 458 of IPC at Shapur Kandi police station.
DGP Dinkar Gupta confirmed that a 4-member SIT headed by Inspector General (Border Range) SPS Parmar has been formed to probe the attack. The other members of the SIT include SSP Gulneet Singh Khurana, SP (Investigation) Prabhjot Singh Virk and Dhar Kalan DSP Ravinder Singh.
Additional DGP (Law & Order) Ishwar Singh has been tasked with the day-to-day supervision of the investigation while Parmar has been authorised to co-opt any other police officer(s) posted in the state for expeditious investigation, said Gupta.
Inter-state raids are being conducted to hunt out suspects involved in past crimes of similar nature and more than 35 suspects are under the scanner. A few people from Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh have been identified as suspects and their mobile location and whereabouts are being traced.
Raids have also been carried out in Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran and Amritsar in coordination with local police, said the DGP. Six labourers who worked with Ashok Kumar, a government contractor, have been interrogated, he said, adding that tower dumps (mobile communication details) of the crime scene and nearby areas have been taken and sent for a technical analysis to track suspicious movements.
The DGP said that CCTVs of the area have been checked. Investigations so far suggest the accused had planned to rob or trespass three other houses in the neighbourhood, the DGP said.
Similar incidents in Punjab are also being checked to ascertain whether the suspects in those cases were in jail or out, said the DGP, adding he will regularly update Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on it as he has directed to ensure expeditious investigation.
WITH PTI