Three members of an interstate gang of robbers have been arrested for murdering two relatives of cricketer Suresh Raina in Pathankot on Aug. 19, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh said on Wednesday, including as 11 other accused. They keep running away.
With the arrests, the prime minister said, the case of the attack and murder was solved.
Singh ordered the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the killings after they sparked outrage.
Raina’s uncle, Ashok Kumar, a contractor, died while his son, Kaushal Kumar, succumbed to injuries on August 31 after thieves attacked them. His aunt, Asha Rani, is fighting for her life in a hospital in critical condition, while two other wounded in the attack have recovered.
Punjab Police Chief Dinkar Gupta said more than 100 suspects were questioned before the three were arrested in a slum near the Pathankot train station on Tuesday. He added rings, a gold chain, and 1,530 rupees were recovered from the arrested defendants Sawan, Muhobbat and Shahrukh Khan.
The initial investigation has revealed that the three are members of a gang involved in robberies in Uttar Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab.
Sawan, who is from Uttar Pradesh, told investigators that they left Chirawa of Rajasthan on August 12 in an autorickshaw and purchased items, including a screwdriver, from a hardware store in Ludhiana before departing for Pathankot. They also committed a robbery in Jagraon on August 14.
Gupta said in Pathankot, a Sanju, who knew the area well, joined them and conducted a reconnaissance of the area. It added that on August 19, five of the defendants entered Ashok Kumar’s home using a ladder and attacked the people sleeping inside before escaping with cash and gold ornaments.
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