30-year-old Patiala youth shot dead at crematorium

A 30-year-old youth was shot dead at a crematorium near Ghalori Gate, Patiala, on Friday morning.

The victim has been identified as Navneet Singh, who was at the cremation ground to collect mortal remains of his uncle. According to eyewitnesses, two assailants fired from a close range on Navneet’s head, thus killing him on the spot.

Prima facie the killing appears to be a fallout of property dispute, said SP Sarfaraz Alam. Navneet was an adopted son of his parents.

Soon after the incident, the CIA Staff and cops from the Kotwali police station reached the spot. Besides, forensic team also arrived at the spot and collected evidence.

On the statement of the deceased’s mother, Gurmeet Kaur, the police have registered a case against Ragbir Mithu, a resident of Dittupur village.

The probe revealed that Navneet was a foster son of Mithu’s brother Hardeep Bawa. After Hardeep’s death, he found that Navneet’s name was also in his will. As a result, there was a property dispute between Mithu and Navneet.

According to information, Navneet maternal uncle died the previous day. On Friday morning, as soon as he got out of the car and reached inside the crematorium, the young men already sitting there shot him dead.

Alam said they had received information about the incident around 9:15 am. Shots were fired from a .315 pistol. The SP said they were searching for the accused involved in the crime.