Amritsar, May 8
There was panic in the city when six dacoits posing as PSEB flying squad members strangled an old couple in the Nirankari colony and decamped with huge cash and jewellery in broad daylight here today. The couple, Hans Raj Chopra and his wife Vidyawati in seventies died on the spot while their grandson was gagged before he could raise an alarm.

Meanwhile, two incidents of robbery and killing of a person were reported from the Tarn Taran police district.

The dacoits, who had mobile phones and were in touch with each other, stayed in the house for more than half an hour for the robbery. Huge cash, gold and valuables reportedly sent by the two sons of the deceased couple who live in the USA was the temptation for murder. According to Ravinder Chopra, son of the deceased couple, the dacoits entered the house at 11.45 a.m. and introduced themselves to be employees of the Punjab State Electricity Board. He said the dacoits asked his son Abhinav Chopra (19) a student of Guru Nanak Dev University to show the latest electricity bill. The boy telephoned his father who asked him (his son) to bring the ‘employees’ on line. The culprit introduced him as Prem Singh to Ravinder Chopra on telephone. After 10 minutes he (Ravinder) called back his house to find out if the ‘flying squad’ was harassing the family to which his mother said they wanted to check the load of air-conditioner installed upstairs.