A man was arrested from Amritsar on Saturday in connection with the killing of AAP leader Lucky Oberoi in Punjab’s Jalandhar, police said.
Police personnel are investigating Aam Aadmi Party leader Lucky Oberoi’s Thor jeep after he was shot dead by unidentified assailants outside a Gurdwara in Jalandhar’s Model Town area on Friday morning. (HT_PRINT)The accused, identified as Shaminder Singh, a resident of Mithapur in Jalandhar, was arrested after a brief exchange of fire in Amritsar’s Khasa area, they added.
Deputy Inspector General of Police (Border Range) Sandeep Goel said a 30 bore pistol was recovered from him.
The accused, who was driving a Honda Activa two-wheeler when he was intercepted by a group of police, has a criminal history.
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Oberoi (43) was shot by an unidentified assailant outside a gurdwara in Jalandhar’s Model Town area around 7:30 am on Friday, soon after he came out of the temple.
While multiple angles are being probed, the police also suspect the involvement of Oberoi’s servant in the disappearance, sources said.
A two-wheeler used in the crime and a Hyundai Creta seen in the CCTV footage are under police scanner, they added.
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A case has been registered against two named accused and two unidentified persons, including a foreign-based gangster, in Oberoi’s daylight killing, with police suspecting personal enmity behind the incident, officials said on Saturday.
Police have booked gangster Jograj Singh alias Joga Folriwal, who claimed responsibility for the killing in an unverified social media post, under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita (BNS) and the Arms Act at Division 6 police station of Jalandhar commissionerate, officials said, based on a complaint by the victims’ families.
However, several police teams are yet to be deployed to trace the assailant and his accomplice, who were captured on a CCTV camera.
Speaking to reporters in Jalandhar, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Harinder Singh Gill said five of the eight bullets fired from a 9 mm pistol hit Oberoi, resulting in his death.
He also said that the autopsy has been videotaped.
Asked if the shooters were hired, he declined to comment, saying it was under investigation.
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He also said that the role of servant is being looked into.
CCTV footage showed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader exiting the gurudwara and sitting in his car – a Mahindra Thar – as the assailant, wearing a black hoodie, approached him on foot, opened fire and fled with an aide, who was waiting for him a short distance away in a two-wheeler.
Satwinderpal Singh alias Lucky Oberoi, a financier by profession, was AAP’s ward in-charge in Jalandhar Cantonment.
An unverified social media post, purportedly by Joga Folriwal, claimed responsibility for the murder.
Several allegations were leveled against Oberoi in the post, with claims that he was killed due to personal enmity over a dispute over the presidency of a college.
A police officer said on Saturday that Joga Folriwal, Dalbir and two others have been booked for Oberoi’s murder.
Joga Folriwal, a resident of Folriwal in Jalandhar district, is believed to be living abroad, the officer added.
Oberoi and Joga Folriwal were friends earlier. In a Facebook post, the two are seen sharing a cake, sources said.
However, they said that the tension between them has started over the election of Khalsa College student council president.
Oberoi’s brother, Damandeep Singh, in whose statement the FIR was lodged, named Joga Folriwal and Dalbirra in his complaint, claiming that both had recently threatened the victim.
However, police said the family did not make any complaint about the alleged threats at the time.
On Friday morning, Oberoi and his brother went to the Gurdwara with one of their friends.
Police said several teams have been deployed to trace the assailant and his accomplice, who were seen fleeing the spot in a Honda Activa. Both were wearing hoodies.
Oberoi was cremated in Jalandhar on Saturday.
Punjab minister Mahinder Bhagat said those involved in the killing would be arrested, adding that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had sent the DGP to Jalandhar after the incident.
On a family member criticizing the state government over Oberoi’s murder, Bhagat said it was normal for the family to feel sad after such an incident.
Opposition Congress, Akali Dal and BJP condemned the AAP government for the incident Reshe, alleged that law and order had broken down in Punjab.
