2 held for dera follower’s murder in Ludhiana

LUDHIANA: With the arrest of two youths, police on Thursday claimed to have solved the case involving the murder of Dera Sacha Sauda follower Gurdev Singh (70) at Bhama Kalan village on October 5.

Those arrested have been identified as Sukhmeet Singh (25) of Barwala village and Sarbjit Singh alias Soni (26) of Natt village in Sahnewal. While Sukhmeet Singh is pursuing MA from Arya College, Ludhiana, Sarbjit Singh is a lower-division clerk with the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL).

One of their accomplices, Varinder Singh, a student, is at large, the police said. The three are local kabaddi players. The police said a quarrel took place between Gurdev, a resident of Panjeta village, and the accused who were drunk at the time of the incident. Inspector Harpal Singh, in-charge, CIA staff-1, said the police arrested the accused from the Sahnewal area following a tip-off. The accused told the police that they went to Gurdev Singh’s shop at the Dera branch at Bhama Kalan and asked a grocery items. Gurdev objected to their coming to his shop in an inebriated condition.

An argument ensued between them and the accused stabbed Gurdev and fled, the police said. Gurdev was rushed to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries the next day.