Third suspect in cop killings held from Amritsar

Gurdaspur: Police arrested a third suspect in connection with the Feb 20 murder of two policemen near the Pakistan border in Gurdaspur district from Amritsar on Friday, just two days after one of the accused was shot dead in an encounter and another arrested.Gurdaspur SSP Aditya confirmed the arrest but withheld the suspect's identity. He also did not share any updates on the manhunt for absconding Inderjit Singh, 21, an alleged ISI-linked recruiter and handler. "We are working on it," the SSP said.
Inderjit is alleged to have recruited Ranjit Singh, 19, of Adhian village and Dilawar Singh, 19, of Ali Nangal village, to murder ASI Gurnam Singh and home guard jawan Ashok Kumar at a police outpost barely 1km from the Pakistan border in Adhian. Dilawar is already in custody, while Ranjit was gunned down early Wednesday. Police said he was shot when he tried to escape during a weapon recovery operation in Gurdaspur district. Ranjit's family has announced a protest at the Babri bypass in Gurdaspur on March 1, demanding that the police produce evidence to substantiate allegations linking him to the killings. Partap Singh Bajwa, leader of opposition in the Punjab assembly, who visited the family in Adhian, urged the Punjab and Haryana high court to take suo motu cognisance and order a CBI inquiry into the encounter and allegations of destruction of digital video recorders (DVRs). "The family has made serious allegations, yet the govt has issued no clarification. Punjabis deserve to know the truth, and all those who lost their lives deserve justice," he said, calling for a transparent and impartial probe. Dilbagh Singh, father of Dilawar Singh, said several political, social, and farmer organisations reached out to the families, expressing solidarity and support in their pursuit of justice.Meanwhile, a video circulating on social media shows a masked Sikh youth—believed to be Dilawar Singh, — telling mediapersons that Inderjit Singh and Ranjit Singh were allegedly involved in the killings. Dilbagh Singh dismissed the clip, saying "anyone can be made to say anything in police custody". MSID:: 128851008 413 |