Ludhiana double murder: Killer was known to couple, say police
A day after an elderly couple was brutally hacked to death in an upscale locality in Ludhiana, police on Thursday said the victims’ family knew the suspected assailant and there was no forced entry. However, the cops are yet to reveal his identity.
Commissioner of police, Ludhiana, Kaustubh Sharma said that robbery was not the motive behind the killing. “Our investigation is on, and we are close to cracking the case,” he said.
Meanwhile, another senior police officer privy to the investigation said: “We were able to identify the accused with the help of closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from the area. The assailant, who was wearing jeans and a blue T-shirt, and was carrying a rucksack, appeared to be around 35 years old. He was six-feet tall, turbaned, and had a wheatish complexion. He was known to the victims’ family.”
The officer, who did not wish to be named, said the blood found on the main gate and boundary wall indicated the accused scaled the boundary wall to escape after he was unable to open the gate. An eyewitness account shared by a neighbour also confirmed that the suspect had scaled the wall to escape from the house located in Block D of Bhai Randhir Singh Nagar.
Couple was stabbed 29 times
A two-member board, comprising forensic expert Dr Charankamal and Dr Monica, conducted the post-mortem examination.
They concluded that excessive bleeding, primarily due to slitting of the neck, and stabbing, led to the couple’s death. “Sukhdev was stabbed 17 times, of which five wounds were on the neck, and the remaining were on the left side of his ribs and abdomen. This indicates that the killer held the weapon, most likely a dagger, in his right hand,” the doctors said.
“Gurmeet was stabbed 12 times, and her neck was slit. She suffered injuries on her left shoulder, chest and abdomen.”