Nearly two weeks after the tragic road accident that killed 36-year-old Richi Kaypee, son of former MP and senior Akali leader Mohinder Singh Kaypee, the Jalandhar police are still struggling to trace the key accused, raising sharp questions over the slow progress of the probe.
According to the FIR lodged by Division No. 6 police, the fatal crash took place on the night of September 13 near Mata Rani Chowk. Kaypee and his son were returning home when Richi’s Toyota Fortuner (PB08-AT-0001) was first intercepted by a Grand Vitara (PB08-FK-7073) and then violently struck by a speeding Hyundai Creta (PB08-DB-6500).
“The impact was so severe that my son Richi died on the spot. I rushed him first to Global Hospital and later to Patel Hospital, but doctors declared him dead. His death was caused by rash driving by both the drivers. Legal action should be taken,” the FIR quotes Mohinder Singh Kaypee.
The police registered a case under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder, rash and negligent driving, and causing death by rash act. Both the Vitara and Creta were seized soon after. While the family of Vitara driver Vishu Kapoor insists he was also injured in the accident and is being wrongly implicated, the Creta driver — identified as Gursharan Singh alias Prince, a businessman from Shekha Bazar — fled the spot and has been untraceable since.
Despite forming multiple teams and carrying out raids not just in Punjab but also in Delhi and adjoining districts, police have failed to apprehend Prince. His lawyer, Advocate Mandeep Singh Sachdeva, has moved anticipatory bail, arguing that the incident was an accident, not a deliberate act. “There was no intent to kill anyone. This is negligence, not murder. The truth will come out during investigation,” Sachdeva claimed.
The delay in arrest has triggered political attention. Finance Minister Harpal Cheema, who called on Kaypee’s family, condemned the accused for fleeing the scene. “Whoever is guilty, wherever he is hiding, law will reach him. Nobody responsible will be spared. Instead of helping after the accident, he ran away, breaking both the law and humanity,” Cheema said.
SHO Division No. 6, Ajaib Singh, meanwhile, said police were leaving no stone unturned. “We have raided several locations, including in Delhi and nearby districts, but he remains absconding. Had Prince surrendered, the case would not have become so complicated. By evading arrest, he is only creating more problems for himself. No matter where he hides, we will get him,” he said.
On questions about the Vitara driver’s alleged wrongful implication, Singh added that police are examining all versions, technical evidence, and eyewitness accounts before fixing responsibility. Kapoor, still under treatment, has not been arrested yet.