By Ashish Puri
Kapurthala, May 30: Kapurthala Police have solved the sensational murder case of RTI activist and lawyer Simranjeet Singh, arresting the main accused within hours of the crime and recovering the weapon allegedly used in the killing.
Addressing a press conference, DIG Jalandhar Range Naveen Singla said that a long-standing property and financial dispute between family members was the primary motive behind the murder. The accused, identified as Sharanjit Singh alias Twinkle, is the cousin of the deceased and has been taken into custody.
According to police, information was received around 11 a.m. on Friday regarding a body with gunshot injuries lying in an empty plot at Village Maheru under the jurisdiction of Police Station Satnampura in Phagwara. Police teams immediately rushed to the spot and launched an investigation. Senior officers, including DIG Naveen Singla and SSP Kapurthala Gaurav Toora, also visited the crime scene.
The deceased was identified as Simranjeet Singh, son of Jagdish Singh and a resident of Adarsh Nagar, Jalandhar. Simranjeet Singh was widely known as an RTI activist and practicing lawyer.
Police recovered his loaded revolver, mobile phone, Toyota Fortuner SUV, a pump-action gun, and a laptop from the scene. An FIR under Section 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 25 of the Arms Act was registered at Police Station Satnampura, and multiple teams were constituted to investigate the case.
During the investigation, police relied on technical surveillance and human intelligence, leading to a breakthrough. The main accused, Sharanjit Singh alias Twinkle, son of Daljit Singh and a resident of Tilak Nagar, Jalandhar, was apprehended and questioned.
Investigators revealed that Simranjeet Singh had called Sharanjit Singh to visit a plot in Village Maheru. Sharanjit allegedly arrived in a white Swift car along with five associates. During their meeting, an argument erupted over a pending property and financial dispute between the two cousins.
Police said that the verbal altercation escalated rapidly. During the confrontation, Sharanjit allegedly loaded a .32-bore pistol, approached Simranjeet from behind, and fired at his head. Simranjeet sustained fatal injuries and died on the spot.
The investigation further revealed that the bullet entered from the back of the victim’s head and exited through his forehead. Police believe that some relatives were present in the area at the time of the incident and that the dispute intensified during the meeting before turning violent.
After the shooting, the accused and his associates fled the scene. However, police teams tracked down and arrested the main accused. The remaining accused have been identified, and raids are being conducted to apprehend them.
Police have also recovered the .32-bore Taurus pistol allegedly used in the murder along with six live cartridges. The weapon and other evidence have been sent for forensic examination.
DIG Naveen Singla stated that the investigation has established that the murder was the outcome of a property and financial dispute between cousins and was committed in the heat of the moment following an argument. Further investigation is underway, and police are working to arrest all remaining accused connected to the case.