Nawanshahr, July 8
The police has claimed to have solved the case of blind murder of property dealer Mohan Singh by arresting his partner Ranjit Singh and Germany-returned Baldev Singh of Bhagtana Tullian village, Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district.

The police has recovered Rs 13.43 lakh and a cheque for Rs.8.67 lakh grabbed from the deceased and the car used in the crime.

Giving details, Dr Narinder Bhargav, SSP, told mediapersons here today that the accused had committed the crime on the pattern of a scene seen by Baldev Singh in a foreign movie. The murder was done in such a way to make it look like a natural death.

Ranjit Singh wanted to grab Rs 32 lakh of a land sale deed. Baldev Singh was known to Ranjit Singh as he had been residing with his brother-in-law in Germany. As after returning from Germany, Baldev Singh was under the burden of a debt, so Ranjit Singh allured him into committing the crime. Both the accused made a shrewd plan to murder Mohan Singh at his residence at New Model town here. They had drinks together and mixed some intoxicant in the drink of Mohan Singh and when he fell asleep on his bed, the accused murdered him by giving him electric shock and decamped with Rs 1.60 lakh and his mobile phone.

They even locked the main gate of the house. Besides, to mislead the police by

showing that he was not present in the town on that particular day, Ranjit Singh got himself admitted to the Civil Hospital, Balachaur.

Earlier, the police, on the basis of a missing person report of Mohan Singh as his house was found locked, had opened the lock of the house in the presence of his brother Didar Singh and found the body of Mohan Singh lying on a bed.

Preliminary the case was taken as a natural death, but the police got suspicious as there was a round burn injury mark on the thumb of the right foot of the victim, said the SSP, adding that during intensive investigation undertaken by the police it came to the light that Mohan Singh had struck a deal of sale of more than three acres of land at Karawar village at Rs 57 Lakh and its power of attorney was with his partner Ranjit Singh. The remaining amount of Rs 32 lakh of the land sale deed was to be given by the buyer on June 2 after the registration of the sale deed. Besides, the power of attorney of

some shops worth Rs 80 lakh was also in the name of Ranjit Singh and he wanted to grab it by eliminating Mohan Singh.

Tarn Taran, July 8
Three persons who fraudulently withdrew Rs 1.94 lakh from one Gehal Singh’s account through his ATM card were identified with the help of CCTV camera installed at the ATM.

A case under Sections 420, 120B and 379 IPC has been registered at Chabal police station against the swindlers.

The accused were identified as Swinder Singh, his son Gurpreet Singh of Sangatpur village and Jagjit Singh of Chohla Sahib.

A resident of Chhettra township, Gehal Singh had lost his purse containing the ATM card, driving license and the identity card on May 15. After few days, he found that an amount of Rs 1,94,860 had been withdrawn from his account.

The accused got the code of the ATM card as Gehal Singh had jotted it down on paper and kept in it the purse. The accused were absconding, said Chabal police.

Kapurthala, July 8
Continuing its operation to curb absenteeism in government offices, the district administration conducted surprise visits and found over three dozens employees, including officials, absent in the district here today.

Flying squads, constituted by the Deputy Commissioner, conducted surprise raids on various district offices, government schools, veterinary hospitals and anganwari centres and found a number of employees missing from their offices. DC Harkesh Singh Sidhu revealed that all staff members of the Veterinary Hospital, Mithra, were found absent by a team, led by ADC Gurmail Singh. The team also found a teacher missing from the village government elementary school.

Another team, headed by ADC (Development) Baljit Singh Sandhu, raided more than two dozen government schools and dispensaries and found only two employees absent from duty.

Twentyfive employees of the PWD (1) and (2), District Welfare office, BDPO office, Kapurthala, District Education Officer (Elementary) office and SCBC Corporation were found absent from duty by a team, led by SDM Satish Singla, the DC said.

The Veterinary Dispensary in Lakhan ke Padd village was found locked while all its employees, including Veterinary Doctor, were absent from duty. The DC said strict disciplinary action would be taken against all absent officials and employees.

Hoshiarpur: To ensure the regular attendance and punctuality of government employees in their respective offices, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Dharam Dutt Tarnach made a surprise checking of the offices of the SDM, Tehsildar, Block Development and Panchayat Officer, Hoshiarpur-II, Zila Parishad, Farad Kendera and Suvidha Centre here today.

At Suvidha Centre he found employee Rakesh Kumar absent and at Zila Parishad junior draftsman Paramjit Singh absent. He took serious view of the misuse of electricity in the offices and instructed the employees to switch off lights, fans, etc, when they do not require them.

During the checking of Government Middle Schools, Rahimpur and Pur Hiran, he found teaching staff present in these schools with poor attendance of students. He was told that due to rain in the morning today, a number of students did not came to their schools. He also checked the quality of food being served to the students during recess.

The DC also checked the office of the Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development) and reviewed the ongoing work of the MGNREGA.

He inspected the offices of local LPG agency holders.

Pathankot, July 8
A four-year old girl was allegedly raped by her teenager neighbour at Jugial colony here today. According to the police, the incident took place in the afternoon when the girl was playing on the roof of her house. Thirteen-year-old accused Pappu (name changed), who lived next door to the girl and knew her family, requested her mother for watching television. After getting the permission he went to the room where girl was playing he caught the girl and raped her.

In her complaint to the police at Shahpur Kandi police station, victim’s mother Geeta Rani alleged that boy and her daughter were watching television on the first floor and she was busy in work on the ground floor. As she heard the cries of the girl, she reached the spot and took the girl, who was found bleeding, from the accused. Sensing danger, the accused fled the scene leaving the girl unconscious. She informed the police. The police reached the site and rushed the unconscious girl to the Civil Hospital. The police has registered a case under Section 376 of the IPC against the accused.

DSP Karam Chand said the accused who managed to flee after committing the crime was later arrested by the police.