5 years on, police fail to arrest murder accused

PK Jaiswar

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 6

The gruesome incident of killing of a migrant in Harike Pattan on Thursday for faking death of Amritsar-based trader to get insurance money is a reminder of similar case that occurred in Chatiwind police station area, five years ago.

In an incident that happened in January 2014, two persons lost their life when a car they were traveling in caught fire near Manawala. They were initially identified as Surinder Singh and Sahib Singh. Later, Sahib Singh’s wife approached the Punjab Human Rights Organisation (PHRO), alleging a conspiracy. An investigation by the organisation revealed that Surinder Singh and Sahib Singh had faked their deaths by killing three unidentified persons. Following this, Sahib was arrested.

Ironically, the rural police have miserably failed to arrest three prime suspects in the case even as the local court had sentenced five members of accused’s (Surinder Singh) family for conspiring and faking death to get insurance money. It had also failed to identify two migrants who were burnt to death in the car.

The Amritsar (rural) police SSP, Vikram Jeet Duggal, said the matter was not in his knowledge and assured to look into the case. “I will definitely get it reviewed. It is a heinous crime and prime suspects should have been arrested. I’ll see to it,” said Duggal.

Sarabjit Singh, principal investigator of the PHRO, said Surinder Singh and his two sons Sukhwant Singh and Mukhtiar Singh, who had escaped to Australia then, were yet to be arrested. The police has even failed to get the duo extradited from Australia till now.

“Of the 12 persons nominated in the case, six got life imprisonment in October 2016 while one of them died during the trial. Three of them were declared proclaimed offenders and are yet to be arrested. A look out circular was issued in June 2014 against those who fled to Australia. The police have failed to initiate further steps to get them extradited back,” he said. He said the police also failed to put them on the list of most wanted or proclaimed offenders on the website of the Amritsar (rural) police.

Those got life imprisonment are Surinder’s wife Jasbir Kaur, Sahib Singh, Nishan Singh, Avtar Singh, Sukhchain Singh and Sarabjit Kaur, all relatives of the accused. Ranjit Singh had died during the trial. Apart from the trio, Surinder Singh is absconding.

Declared dead, were found alive later 

• Two persons, on way of Dehli, lost their life in a car which caught fire near Manawala, on January 22, 2014. Later, Jasbir Kaur, a resident of Maqboolpura, had identified one of the bodies as that of her husband Surinder Singh. Another body was identified as that of Sahib Singh of Bhullar village, near Ajnala. Initially, the police had considered the case as an accident and death certificates of Surinder Singh and Sahib Singh were issued
• Later, Sahib Singh’s wife approached the Punjab Human Rights Organisation, alleging a conspiracy. An investigation by the organisation revealed that Surinder Singh and Sahib Singh had faked their deaths by killing three unidentified persons. Sahib Singh was arrested later