Gangster, Cong sarpanch among 17 booked for killing Patiala man

The accused had old enmity with the victim, who also had a criminal background. They had tried to attack him on multiple occasions in the past.

SOURAV JINDAL , deputy superintendent of police

PATIALA: A notorious gangster, Kanwar Randeep Singh Kharoud, who stirred a controversy after he joined the Congress in presence of Patiala MP Preneet Kaur during the Lok Sabha polls last year, and Tara Dutt, a Congress sarpanch from Vikas Nagar in Seouna village of Patiala, were among 17 people booked for killing a 35-year-old man in Patiala on Thursday night.

Victim Shamsher Singh, a resident of Sukhram colony, was shot dead by Kharoud and his 16 accomplices when he was returning home after celebrating his birthday.

Deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Sourav Jindal said the incident took place around 9.30 pm when Shamsher was accosted by the accused near his house. “They attacked him with sharp-edged weapons. One of the accused took out his revolver and fired at him. He sustained a bullet injury on his chest.”

He was rushed to a local hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.

“The accused had old enmity with the victim, who also had a criminal background. They had tried to attack him on multiple occasions in the past.” the DSP said.

Police said four criminal cases were registered against the deceased.

Police registered a case against Kharoud, Dutt, Sajan, Abbu, Lali, Chand Mohammad, Phul Mohammad, Pawan, Jatinder Shergill, Parmod, Vicky, Twinkle, Prince and four unidentified persons.

They were booked under Sections 302 (murder), 148 (rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of IPC and relevant sections of the Arms Act on the basis of a complaint filed by Shamsher’s brother Davinder Singh. SHO Anaj Mandi police station Gurnam Singh said “The accused are on the run and efforts are on to arrest them,” he said.