In a massive development in the high-profile murder of textile businessman Sanjay Verma, Punjab Police on Tuesday gunned down two assailants in an encounter near Bahawalvasi Road, Fazilka. The operation also left two other accused injured, while Head Constable Maninder Singh of City One police station sustained injuries during the exchange of fire.
According to police officials, the encounter took place during a weapon recovery operation involving Ram Ratan of Patiala and Jaspreet Singh of Mardaanpur, both under custody in connection with the murder. While being taken to the location for recovery, the accused opened fire on the police, leading to a retaliatory operation in which two of them were shot dead.
DIG Harmanbir Singh confirmed that the deceased were directly involved in the cold-blooded murder of Sanjay Verma, who was shot dead outside his New Wear Well showroom in Abohar on Monday, July 8.
The Police official informed the media, "A murder took place yesterday in Abohar in which a businessman, Sanjay Verma, was killed. The investigation was underway, and CCTV footage had captured a Swift car suspected to be involved. While tracking this Swift car, we found that two suspects, who initially fled on a motorcycle along with three others, later escaped in the Swift car. The men in the car helped the shooters flee the crime scene after the murder.
During the investigation, we arrested two accused, Jaspreet and Ram Ratan. During interrogation, they revealed that they were wearing turbans and special shirts during the murder, which they discarded while fleeing. The weapons used in the crime were also hidden along the escape route. Police teams are conducting searches at multiple locations to recover the murder weapon.
The accused revealed that they had hidden the weapon in Pir Tabba, a forest-like area. When the police reached there for recovery, their accomplices opened fire on the police team. In the ensuing crossfire, both Jaspreet and Ram Ratan were killed. Unfortunately, during the encounter, a senior constable from Abohar also sustained a gunshot injury."