Faridkot police to question juveniles

The two minors were brought from Delhi by the Kotkapura City police to Faridkot on Tuesday

BATHINDA : The Faridkot Juvenile Justice Board on Wednesday allowed the district police to question two juveniles for five days in the murder of Dera Sachha Sauda follower Pardeep Kataria.

The minors were brought from Delhi by the Kotkapura City police to Faridkot on Tuesday. Faridkot senior superintendent of police (SSP) Rajpal Singh said the accused minors would be questioned about their presence at the crime spot and all other details of the murder.

“Both are being kept at an observation home in the city. The court has issued certain guidelines to be followed during questioning of the accused,” said the SSP.

Identities of the accused juveniles have been kept confidential in accordance with the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act.

A 38-year-old Kataria, an accused in the 2015 Bargari sacrilege case, was out on bail at the time of his murder in Kotkapura town. The deceased, who was given police protection, was opening up his dairy store when six assailants fatally fired at him on November 10.

Within hours of the crime, a team of Delhi Police’s Special Cell nabbed three suspected assailants, including two juveniles, from Patiala district on November 11. Jitender alias Jeetu is a 26-year-old resident of Rohtak, while the juveniles are from Rohtak and Bhiwani in Haryana. Faridkot SSP said efforts were on getting the custody of Jeetu from the Delhi police.

As per information, of the six assailants involved in the killing, four are from Haryana, and two are from Punjab.

According to the Delhi police, there were three modules engaged in the murder, and juveniles were part of one module.

Police sources said Jeetu is an old associate of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his close aides Goldy Brar and Kala Jathedi.

As per the Delhi police, the two juveniles were connected to Brar via Ankit Sersa, who is an accused in the murder of Punjab singer-turned-politician Sidhu Moose Wala and was earlier arrested by the special cell.

Jeetu was identified by the Delhi police from the CCTV footage that emerged from the Dera follower’s murder spot.