Tribune News Service

Batala, July 6

The police have arrested three persons, including the main accused, for killing four members of a youth’s family at Balarwal village of Batala.

A team led by Tejbir Singh Hundal, SP (Investigation), arrested prime accused Sukhjinder Singh, his wife Kulwinder Kaur and relative Jatinder Singh. The revolver used in the crime has also been recovered.

SSP Rachpal Singh said Sukhjinder was arrested from a secluded place on the banks of the Beas. “He neither used a mobile phone nor a vehicle. He had six live cartridges and wanted to gun down more members of Harmandeep’s family. To dodge the cops, he made an isolated spot on the banks of the Beas as his hideout. But he was spotted by some Gujjars who informed us,” the SSP added.

The police, however, said the accused family alleged that all four deceased had political enmity with them, a claim refuted by the SSP.

“The fact is that Harmandeep sexually molested a 15-year-old girl, a Class X student, at a tubewell on the village outskirts. At the break of dawn, he let go of the girl and when she reached home her mother confronted her. When the girl told her about the incident, her father Sukhjinder got enraged and rushed to the tubewell with his licensed revolver. Seeing him, Harmandeep fled the scene,” the SSP added.

Later, the youth’s father, Sukhwinder Singh, paternal uncle Jasbir Singh and grandfather Mangal Singh and Babaljit Singh, son of Mangal Singh’s youngest son, were shot dead.