Another contract killer arrested, one on the run

LUDHIANA: Police have made another arrest in the Ludhiana double murder case, wherein a 67-year-old retired air force official Bhupinder Singh and his 63-year-old wife Sushpinder Kaur were done to death at their house on May 25.

The accused, identified as Vikas Gill, alias Doctor, 35, of Bhamian Khurd, confessed that they had made an attempt to kill the elderly man on Sunday too, but dropped the idea and returned. However, Harmeet Singh Mani, son of the victim, kept on insisting them to kill his father and offered them liquor and drugs, Gill told the police.

On Thursday, police arrested the couple’s son, who had a strained relationship with his father, and one of the contract killers in connection with the case. According to the police, the son had hired three contract killers for ₹2.5 lakh to kill his father.

Gill also told police that he and Sunil Masih were not aware that Harmeet had promised to pay ₹2.5 lakh to Balwinder Singh, alias Raju. He claimed that Balwinder had told them that he would get ₹1 lakh and would give ₹ 20,000 to ₹25,000 each to the other two.

Inspector Beant Juneja, in-charge at CIA staff 2, said: “Gill told police that after they left the house on Sunday, Harmeet contacted them again and offered them liquor and drugs.”

The accused told police that Harmeet had opened the door and sent them on the roof, where they waited till 4.30am till Bhupinder Singh woke up and opened the door of the room in the wee hours of Wednesday. As Bhupinder opened the door, the accused barged in the room and strangled him to death. As Sush-pinder Kaur woke up, they gagged her to death as well.