Father of first wife among 5 arrested for attack on NRI in Amritsar

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, August 25

A day after a USA-based NRI, Sukhchain Singh, was shot at by two armed assailants in the Daburji area here, the Amritsar Police Commissionerate have arrested five persons. The two shooters are still at large and a manhunt is on to nab them.

Among those arrested include Sarvan Singh of Tanda, Hoshiarpur, who is the father of NRI’s first wife. She had committed suicide two years ago. “The shooters were identified as Sukhwinder Singh, alias Sukha Grenade, of Kapurthala and Gurkirat Singh of Jalandhar. They were hired by a US-based family who are relatives of the NRI’s first wife,” informed Ranjit Singh Dhillon, Police Commissioner, Amritsar.

One shooter has 10 criminal cases, including murder bid, theft, loot and NDPS cases lodged against him. He came out of Kapurthala jail on bail in February. His accomplice, who had a couple of NDPS cases against him, was released from the same jail in September last year.

The Police Commissioner said the police have traced financial transactions of USA-based suspects to the two shooters and further financial transactions were being verified.

Besides Sarvan, the police arrested Jagjit Singh and Chamkaur Singh, both residents of Thath village in Tarn Taran; Digambar Atri, a hotel owner and his manager Abhilash Bhaskar. They were arrested for providing logistic support and shelter to the shooters.

The Police Commissioner said the accused stayed at the hotel in Amritsar before and after committing the crime. The hotel owner and manager were nabbed as they gave them room without taking their ID proofs which is mandatory.

“Jagjit and Chamkaur were known to the shooters and they sheltered him in the Tarn Taran area,” he said.

Earlier, the police had booked three USA-based NRIs and family members of Sukhchain’s first wife including Sukhwinder Singh, brother-in-law; Kuljinder Kaur, sister-in-law; and her husband Jasvir Singh, all residents of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, besides mother-in-law Nishan Kaur of Tanda, Hoshiarpur.

Sukhchain Singh was in his house at Daburji when two armed assailants entered and shot at him in front of his family members. Their pistols malfunctioned and they fled away. Sukhchain suffered two bullet injuries and was rushed to the hospital where he is currently under treatment.

Punjab ministers Harbhajan Singh ETO and Kuldeep Dhaliwal had visited him at the hospital also talked to the doctors yesterday.