Ludhiana: Taxi driver killed over car theft plan, 3 held, say police
The three accused — identified as Harpreet Singh alias Happy and Gurtejpreet Singh alias Guri, both residents of Mohi village, and Gurwant Singh of Boora Patti in Dakha — had planned to kill the driver and sell the stolen vehicle for easy money
Ludhiana (rural) police have arrested three persons for allegedly killing a 45-year-old taxi driver, Gurmeet Singh alias Bittu. The crime came to light after police recovered the victim’s blood-soaked Maruti Suzuki Swift Dzire taxi from Mohi village on Monday.
On Tuesday, Gurmeet’s body was recovered from a canal near Tugal village following the accused’s confession.
According to police, the motive behind the murder was robbery.
The three accused — identified as Harpreet Singh alias Happy and Gurtejpreet Singh alias Guri, both residents of Mohi village, and Gurwant Singh of Boora Patti in Dakha — had planned to kill the driver and sell the stolen vehicle for easy money.
All three are aged between 23 and 25 years, and none have prior criminal records.
The investigation began early on Monday when police discovered a blood-stained Swift Dzire taxi abandoned in Mohi village. The vehicle was traced back to Gurmeet Singh, a resident of Ashapuri in Aggar Nagar, Ludhiana. When police contacted Gurmeet’s wife, Narinder Kaur, she alleged that her husband had been kidnapped. Based on her statement, an FIR was registered at the Sudhar police station under Sections 140(3) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
The breakthrough came on Tuesday when police arrested the three suspects.
According to police, the trio confessed during interrogation to hiring Gurmeet’s taxi from Barewal Road in Ludhiana around 2.44am on Monday under the pretext of travelling to Raikot and that the murder was pre-planned.
Deputy superintendent of police (DSP, Dakha) Varinder Singh Khosa stated, “The driver had shared his live location with a friend, which shows he was cautious. But when they reached Mohi, the accused attempted to snatch the car at knifepoint. Gurmeet resisted, and they attacked him with a knife, killing him on the spot.” “After the murder, the accused dumped Gurmeet’s body in a canal near Tugal village and abandoned the blood-stained car in Mohi. Police later recovered two motorcycles that the accused had used to travel to Ludhiana before hiring the taxi,” the DSP said.
Following the recovery of the victim’s body, police added additional charges under Sections 103(1), 309(4), and 317(2) of the BNS to the FIR.
DSP Khosa said investigationa were ongoing in the case.
