Amritsar police face-off with shooters in NRI shooting case

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, August 26

A dramatic turn of events unfolded when two shooters, Sukhwinder Singh alias Sukha and Gurkirat Singh alias Gori, involved in the NRI shooting case, opened fire on police officers while being taken to recover weapons near Vallah canal. The police retaliated, injuring both shooters in the leg. They are currently hospitalised.

According to Police Commissioner Ranjit Singh Dhillon, “When the police teams led by ADCP Abhimanyu Rana went to the spot for recovery of weapons, the two shooters pushed the cops and took out the pistols from the spot where they had hidden them and shot at the cops. They narrowly escaped in firing. The cops fired in self-defence, in which Sukhjinder Singh and Gurkirat were injured.”

The shooters were arrested along with an accomplice, Sukhwinder Singh alias Sabi, in a joint operation by the Amritsar and Hoshiarpur police. The trio was taken to the canal to recover weapons used in the shooting of US-based NRI Sukhchain Singh.

Giving details, Police Commissioner Dhillon said, “They were hired for ₹15 lakh by the US-based Sukhwinder Singh, brother of the victim’s ex-wife, to avenge her death. She had died by suicide in 2022. The accused were paid ₹85,000 only as an initial payment to execute the task. It was Sukhwinder who had arranged the weapons used in the crime.”

The shooters came on a bike and gained access to the victim’s house, where they shot him in front of his family members. After the shooting, they parked the bike in a gurdwara in Khadoor Sahib and hid the pistols at Vallah canal.

Eight persons have been arrested so far, including the mastermind, Sarvan Singh, and others who assisted the shooters. Further investigations are underway to identify weapon suppliers and financial transactions made by the US-based accused.