Updated: September 16, 2020 2:13:45 pm
Suresh Raina, who withdrew from the IPL for personal reasons, had demanded an investigation into the incident. (Proceedings)
Three members of an interstate gang of robbers have been arrested in connection with the killings of relatives of the cricket Suresh Raina, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh said, declaring the case “settled.”
Eleven other defendants have yet to be arrested, DGP Dinkar Gupta said.
Raina’s uncle, Ashok Kumar, a contractor, had been killed on the spot, while his son Kaushal Kumar succumbed to injuries on 31 August during an attempted robbery at his Pathankot home. Kumar’s wife, Asha Rani, is in the hospital in critical condition and two other wounded in the attack have been released.
Shortly after the incident, the prime minister had ordered the constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under IGP Border Range Amritsar, with SSP Pathankot, SP Investigation and DSP Dhar Kalan as its members, to investigate the case thoroughly and quickly.
More than 100 suspected people were examined during the investigation, according to DGP Gupta.
On September 15, the SIT received information that three suspects, who were seen on Defense Road the morning after the incident, were staying at jhuggis near the Pathankot train station. A raid was carried out and all three were captured. From them, a gold ring bearing the initials AK, a gold chain, 1530 rupees in cash and two wooden sticks, allegedly used in the attack, was recovered. The defendants have been identified as Sawan, alias Matching, Muhobbat and Shahrukh Khan, all residents of Chirawa and Pilani jhuggis in Rajasthan.
Read also | ‘What happened to the family in Punjab more than horrible; deserve answers’
The initial investigation revealed that they operated as a gang together with others and had previously committed similar crimes in Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and various parts of Punjab.
The night Raina’s family was attacked, around 7 to 8 p.m., the gang moved in groups of 2 or 3, depending on their modus operandi, and arrived at a designated location in an open field. After the thieves failed to land anything substantial in the first two spots they had targeted, they entered Ashok Kumar’s house using a ladder. When they saw three people lying on mats, the suspects hit them on the head before moving through the house, attacking others and escaping with cash and gold ornaments, DGP said.
The defendants then escaped in groups of two and three to reach the train station. After the cash and jewelry were distributed among them, they dispersed.
Further investigations are underway to arrest the 11 fugitives, including one identified person, and to solve other robberies in which the gang members were involved.
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