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Ludhiana: The police on Saturday evening arrested two men for kidnapping a disabled man of Lohara.
Even as the arrested confessed to have killed the kidnapped man, Charanjit Singh, 45, police suspect their admission as a misleading attempt as the body has not been recovered.
The accused have been identified as Veeram Singh, his brothers Gurdit Singh and Dupinder Singh and auto driver Simran Singh, all residents of Basant Nagar.
Of them, Veeram and Simran have been arrested.
Charanjit’s brother Baljeet Singh Malra, a Congress worker, said in his police complaint, “My brother was unmarried and lived in Gian Chand Nagar. We would meet after a week or two. As Charanjit, who had polio, had not met his family for some days, I went to his house on October 7. I called him up on finding the door locked. As his phone rang inside the house, I spoke to his neighbours who told me that Charanjit had not returned home since the night of October 2.”
A worried Baljeet went to Daba police station to file a missing person complaint. “The police asked me to wait for a few days. Meanwhile, I started asking his friends and our relatives about him. A couple of days later, I met Charanjit’s friend Narinder Singh. I asked him about my brother and he said on the night of October 2, he had dropped Charanjit at the house of Veeram Singh. There, Charanjit asked Veeram to return the money he had borrowed from him. As heated arguments ensued, Narinder left the place. Veeram was our family friend. On September 20, he had borrowed Rs 20,000 from us, saying he would return within 10 days. But he did not,” he added.
After talking to Narinder, Baljeet went to Veeram’s house, but the latter did not talk to him. “I spoke to his neighbours, who told me that Veeram and his brothers, who work as part-time drivers, thrashed Charanjit and took him somewhere in Simran’s auto,” said Baljeet.
He again approached the police, who called Veeram and Simran for questioning.
Daba police station SHO inspector Pavittar Singh said, “Veeram told during interrogation that he along with his brothers Gurdit and Dupinder thrashed Charanjit when he came to his house asking for repayment. After thrashing him, the accused asked Simran, their neighbour, to bring his auto-rickshaw. They bundled Charanjit into the auto, hit a brick on his head and stabbed him before throwing him into Kaind canal in Khanpur village.”
Following the confession, police pressed divers into service, but they could not find Charanjit’s body in the canal. “It is being probed whether they killed Charanjit, as they claim, or have kept him in confinement. We are on the lookout for the other accused,” the SHO added.
A case has been registered under sections 364 (kidnapping or abducting in order to murder) of 34 (act done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the IPC. The murder section would be added if the body was recovered, the SHO added.
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