Police on Friday claimed to have solved a blind murder case in Hoshiarpur district within 24 hours by arresting the main accused and two others involved in supplying the weapon used in the crime.
Aryan (20), a resident of Sehwan village in the district, was shot dead around 11 pm on June 18 near Shahpur Ghata village.
He was attacked by unidentified assailants while returning from Ludhiana along with his maternal cousin, Naveen Kumar, of Kokowal Mazari village, in a car.
The two had gone there to purchase garments for their shop at Jhuggian village.
A blind murder case refers to a murder where there are no direct eyewitnesses.
During the investigation, Naveen emerged as the prime suspect, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sandeep Kumar Malik said in a press conference.
Naveen had initially told the police that they had stopped briefly as he felt sick and had stepped out of the car to vomit. At that moment, three masked men on a motorcycle allegedly opened fire at Aryan, who was seated inside the vehicle, hitting him in the head and chest. The assailants fled immediately after the attack.
An FIR was registered in this connection.
A special investigation team led by Superintendent of Police (Investigation) Mukesh Kumar was formed to crack the case.
During the probe, it was revealed that Naveen, who runs a ready-made garments shop in Jhuggian, had employed Aryan; however, the latter had reportedly planned to open a shop nearby.
This created tension between the two as Naveen feared losing business and customers.
Police said Naveen lured Aryan to a deserted stretch near Shahpur Ghata and shot him twice, in the head and chest, using an illegally procured .32 bore country-made pistol.
The pistol was allegedly procured from Gurmukh and his brother Gurdeep, both residents of Mehindwani village. Police recovered the pistol, along with one live and one spent cartridge, and the Swift car used by Naveen.
Subsequently, Gurmukh and Gurdeep were also arrested for supplying the weapon, and the car used to deliver the pistol to Naveen was also recovered, the SSP said.
All three accused were being produced before a court to obtain police remand. Further interrogation is underway, SSP Malik added.
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