Chandigarh:
Three members of the gang that murdered members of the family of cricketer Suresh Raina in Pathankot in Punjab last month during an alleged robbery were arrested, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said Wednesday, declaring the case “solved”. .
Punjab DGP Dinkar Gupta said the defendants were part of an interstate robber-criminal gang and that 11 other members of that gang, one of whom has already been identified, were at large. Efforts are also being made to capture them, added the lead policeman.
According to Mr. Gupta, the SIT (Special Investigation Team) investigating the case received a tip earlier this week that the three arrested suspects were hiding in slums near the Pathankot train station. The police raid that followed recovered two wooden sticks (presumably used as weapons), two gold rings, and cash worth 1,530 rupees.
The defendants told police they were part of a gang that had committed similar crimes in parts of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and even Jammu and Kashmir. They said they jumped from place to place following landmarks like canals and rail lines.
The night of the attack on Mr. Raina’s family, the gang gathered in the Ashok Kumar neighborhood after traveling in groups of two or three to avoid suspicion. His first two burglary attempts at night failed: Mr. Kumar’s house was his third.
Five of the defendants entered the house (they used a ladder to climb the wall) and saw three members of Mr. Raina’s family sleeping on mats on the floor.
The suspects beat them in the head before moving around the house, attacking others and escaping with cash and gold ornaments, DGP Dinkar Gupta said.
They escaped, re-separated into groups of two or three, and reached the train station, where they divided the loot and dispersed, Gupta said.
Mr. Raina, 33, lost his uncle (Mr. Kumar) and his cousin Kaushal Kumar in the attack. His aunt (Mr. Kumar’s wife, Asha Rani) remains in critical condition.
Two other wounded in the attack have been discharged from the hospital.
“What happened to my family is that Punjab was beyond horrible. My uncle was killed to death, my bua and my two cousins were seriously injured. Unfortunately, my cousin also passed away last night after fighting for life for days.” said the cricketer, who had withdrawn from the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season due to “personal reasons,” tweeted.
Mr Raina had asked the Chief Minister Amarinder Singh for help and Mr Singh had replied: “Beta (my son) … we will ensure that the culprits are brought to justice. “
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