Gang rivalry behind Patti double murder
Our Correspondent
Tarn Taran, June 1
The district police today claimed to have solved the Patti double murder case in which two residents — Amandeep Singh Fauji and Prabhdeep Singh, alias Pooran — were shot on May 27, while their third associate was injured seriously.
A case under Sections 302, 307 and 34 of the IPC, and Sections 25, 27, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act was registered by the Patti city police. SSP Dhruman H Nimbale said the killings were the outcome of personal enmity between two groups involving gangsters.
Though the police had arrested three suspects — Malkit Singh Laddoo of Patti, Paramjit Singh Pamma of Harike and Manpreet Singh, alias Manna, of Manochahal — the suspected shooters were still at large. Two pistols with nine cartridges were recovered from them.
The police probed the role of NRI Lakhbir Singh Landa from Harike. He had migrated to Canada one-and-a-half years ago and faced eight criminal cases.
The SSP said Landa had demanded ransom from a person from the area in Canada. Fauji, however, asked the individual not to pay the ransom. Landa then planned to kill Fauji and his associates by hiring contact killers. He contacted Preet Sanghwan from Amritsar, who demanded Rs 20 lakh for the job, but Landa paid him Rs 6 lakh, claimed the police.
Laddoo gathered information about Fauji’s movement and gave it to the gangsters. They chose May 27 for the killing as Fauji used to visit a mausoleum on the outskirts of the town every Thursday.
The SSP said preliminary investigation pointed to the role of two shooters. One of them was identified as Preet Sanghwan, who is at large.
Meanwhile, Laddoo was produced in a Patti court, which remanded him in four-day police custody. He reportedly has a Congress background and is linked to the Majha Truck Union, Patti. The district police would soon issue lookout warrants for Canada-based Landa.
A special investigation team, comprising Gurbaj Singh SP (PIB), Kamaljit Singh DSP (Investigation) and Sub-Inspector Balwinder Singh, carried out the investigation in the case, said the SSP.
