punjab

Updated: Nov 13, 2017 19:12 IST

Gangster Saraj Singh Sandhu, alias Mintoo, has ‘confessed’ to killing Hindu Sangharsh Sena leader Vipan Sharma, 42, on October 30, in a Facebook post on Monday.

Sharma, the district president of the organisation in Amritsar, was shot dead in broad daylight in Bharat Nagar area near Batala Road.

On Thursday, police had booked gangsters Shubham Singh, Saraj Singh Sandhu, alias Mintoo, and Dharminder Singh for the murder. The fourth accused has been identified, but is yet to be named in the first-information report (FIR).

‘Murder meant to avenge killing of friend’s father’

“I killed Vipan Sharma. He got punished for his deeds as he conspired to the murder of the father of my close friend. This was unbearable….Vipan facilitated supply of weapons to the assailants of my uncle,” the Facebook post of Saraj reads. It goes on to add, “There is no religious angle to the murder and we avenged murder of my friend’s father, who was in Amritsar police.” Saraj adds that the media reports and theories were wrong, baseless and false.

The post warns people not to comment on him or the case; claiming that his gang could tap phone calls. In the CCTV footage of the murder, Saraj is seen pumping bullets into Sharma. An accomplice, who also fired at Sharma, had his face covered.

After the post, a police official told HT on condition of anonymity, “Saraj and his chief accomplice, Shubham, killed Sharma as he was close to Simranjit Singh, who had allegedly murdered Shubam’s father, Baljinder Singh, alias Kalu.”

Police: Only arrests will clarify matter

Amritsar police commissioner SS Srivastva said, “We are investigating, if it is indeed Saraj who has uploaded the post. It been forwarded to the intelligence wing.” He added that the real reason behind the murder could not be established till the accused were arrested. “We cannot believe a social media post or the statement of a gangster. Things will be clear after the arrests,” he said.

Co-accused called an Amritsar jail inmate after the murder

During interrogation, an inmate in Amritsar jail, who was a member of Shubham’s gang, had told the police that on October 30 (the day of the murder), he had received a WhatsApp call from Saraj’s number about 9pm. Shubham was on the line and told the inmate that they had murdered Sharma, as he had conspired in the killing of his father. “Shubham told me that Vipan had given Rs 3 lakh to Simranjit for killing his father. Of this, Rs 1.5 lakh were for purchase of weapons to kill Kalu (Shubham’s father) and Rs 1.5 lakh for hiding after the crime,” the gangster, who remains unidentified, had told the police. Jannat Sharma, son of Sharma, however, claimed that the family was unaware about any enmity of his father with anyone.

Last week, police had arrested Sukhraj Kaur, Sandhu’s mother, from her home in Sultanwind near Amritsar on the charges of harbouring her son and other criminals. A local court released her on bail on Monday.

(The story has been updated)