Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 12

Dr Rajneesh, Additional District Judge, Chandigarh, has held four accused guilty in a two-year-old broad daylight murder of a youth in the Sector 40 market here.

The court held Rajat Tiwari, Harpreet Singh, alias Laddi, Ritwick Bhardwaj and Talak, alias DC, guilty. It acquitted another accused Chetan. The court will pronounce the quantum of the sentence on November 15.

The police registered a case against the accused after Amit Katoch (27) was murdered in the Sector 40 mini market on June 28, 2019.

The accused were arrested on a complaint of Sumit Katoch, brother of Amit Katoch, a resident of Sunny Enclave, Kharar.

In the complaint, Sumit said he got a call from Amit’s friend from the PGI around 12.30 pm on June 28, stating that Rajat Tiwari, along with three more accomplices, allegedly injured his brother using swords and knife in the Sector 40-A market where the victim went to meet his friends for some work.

The police had registered the case against the accused under Sections 302, 147, 148, 149 and 34 of the IPC at the Sector 39 police station.

Sumit alleged that a quarrel took place between his brother and one of the accused, Rajat Tiwari, a few months ago. Due to this, his brother was attacked.

Amarjit Singh Gujral, counsel for Chetan Singh, said he was acquitted after no evidence was found against him. Gujral said Chatan was falsely implicated in the case and one of the eyewitnesses also failed to identify the accused in the CCTV footage during the examination. The prosecution has based the case against the accused mostly on the CCTV footage procured from the shop where the incident took place. The accused were allegedly seen in footage giving repeated knife blows to Amit Katoch.

After stabbing Amit, the accused were seen leaving the shop, while Amit was seen leaving the shop injured. Blood was seen spilled on the floor tiles inside near the shelf of the shop and the passage in front of the shop, through which Amit went out.

The police took the DVR (CCTV footage) from the shop after the incident. It was played at the Sector 39 police station on June 28, 2019, where the complainant identified and disclosed the particulars of accused Rajat Tiwari, Ritwick Bhardwaj, Tilak, alias DC, and Harpreet, alias Laddi, as seen in the footage, to an Inspector in his presence.