Ludhiana: Helper, nephew held for killing van driver

LUDHIANA: The police on Monday claimed to have solved van driver Raju Gupta’s murder, with the arrest of his nephew and helper in Punjab's Ludhiana.
Raju’s assistant Gautam Kumar, 24, and nephew Shubham, 19, both residents of Pratap Nagar, have confessed to have stabbed him in Jarkhar village on August 2.
Police said Gautam had been working with Raju, also a resident of Pratap Nagar, for the past three years.Gautam wanted to eliminate Raju to take over his business and wife, whom he liked. When he learned that Shubham, too, held a grudge against Raju, he convinced him to join the conspiracy.
Additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP-II) Jaskiranjit Singh said, “Raju was brutally attacked with sharp-edged weapons. He had injuries on his head and face and his hand was chopped off. Even as the murder seemed to be the fallout of a rivalry, his family said they suspected none.”
The call records, however, did the two in. “The call details showed Guatam had called up Raju a few hours before he was killed. Besides, the phone location of the accused and the victim was the same. During questioning, Gautam and Shubham kept changing their statements. When quizzed further, the duo confessed to have committed the crime,” the ADCP added.
Raju had two brothers — Ram Kumar and Sanjay. “Shubham is Ram’s son. Sanjay is a banana wholesaler and Raju delivered the fruit in his pick-up van. Around six months ago, Raju had thrashed Ram following a quarrel. When Shubham came to his rescue, Raju assaulted them, too. Shubham then decided to take a revenge,” the ADCP said.
Assistant commissioner of police (South) Jashandeep Singh said, “Around 9pm on August 2, Guatam rang Raju, saying he has found a good rented accommodation in Alamgir village for him. He called him to the village and when Raju reached there, Guatam and Shubham took him along on the pretext of showing him the house. But at a isolated place in Jarkhar village, the duo killed him with sharp-edged weapons. They then threw his body in a water channel in Dehlon. It was found a day later, on August 3. Two sharp-edged weapons used in the crime have also been recovered.”