Wife, minor daughter among five arrested for man’s murder

TARN TARAN: A week after a 40-year-old man was found hacked to death in Valtoha village of Bhikhiwind sub-division, police on Wednesday arrested five people, including the victim’s wife and minor daughter.

Santokh Singh of Mutheyanwala village under Patti sub-division was hacked to death by some unidentified people in his sleep at his in-laws’ house in Valtoha village on June 24 where he had been living for the last seven years.

Victim’s wife Gurjit Kaur (39), his 17-year-old daughter and her alleged lover Manjinder Singh (20) of Valtoha, and Manjinder’s two friends Jagroop Singh (21) of Chohla Sahib and Sajan Singh (21) of Gharka village.

Addressing a press conference, Bhikhiwind deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Rajbir Singh said, “The victim’s fatherin-law Kashmir Singh (70) had told the police that his son-inlaw was sleeping in the courtyard and was hacked to death on June 24.”

“During our investigation, we found that Santokh was against his daughter’s relationship with her neighbour Manjinder Singh.

We rounded up Manjinder for questioning and he confessed to having killed Santokh,” the DSP said.

It was also found that the murder was planned by victim’s wife and daughter, he said.

Police have also recovered three sharp-edged weapons used in the crime, and the mobile phone of the victim.

Police had already registered a case under section 302 (murder) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code at Valtoha police station on the complaint of the victim’s father-in-law.