6 held in kidnapping, double murder case
In a significant breakthrough, the Kapurthala police have solved the sensational kidnapping and blind double murder case of an advocate and his woman friend in Phagwara, arresting six persons, including a convicted murderer out on parole. The case was cracked within days of registration, highlighting a swift and coordinated response by law enforcement agencies.
SSP Gaurav Toora said today that the victims advocate Sanjeev Kumar and Anju Paul were reportedly missing from their flat in AGI Colony, Phagwara, on the night of April 19-20.
According to the police, they were abducted at gunpoint by three masked men and taken in a car to a deserted field near Ludhiana, where they were strangled to death. Their bodies were later buried in a remote area near village Chahar in Ludhiana district.
The breakthrough came after Sudesh Kumar, father of the deceased advocate, filed a complaint on April 24. Based on the FIR registered at Sadar Phagwara police station under the BNS and Arms Act, the police launched a multi-agency investigation.
SSP Toora said the investigation revealed that the main accused, Harwinder Singh, alias Pinder, a hardened criminal on parole from a life sentence in a 2012 double murder case (involving a police DSP), masterminded the killings. Singh had married Anju Paul in 2019 while serving time in jail and continued to meet her during paroles. The couple had a strained relationship and when Anju began distancing herself and started living with the advocate, Harwinder grew angry.
He said Harwinder was also allegedly involved in drug trafficking operations while in jail and relied on Anju’s assistance to obtain bails and paroles in other cases. Her refusal to support him further reportedly led him to conspire with five accomplices to eliminate both Anju and Sanjeev.
Following the registration of the case, Toora constituted a special investigation team involving SP (D), Kapurthala, Prabhjot Singh Virk, SP, Phagwara, Rupinder Kaur Bhatti, DSP, Bharat Bhushan, detective units, CIA teams, and local police. The team worked round the clock, using CCTV footage, forensic analysis, electronic surveillance and human intelligence to piece together the crime.
Toora said by April 25, the police arrested Jashanpreet Singh, alias Jassu, who provided logistical support and disposed of the abduction vehicle. Harwinder had fled to Gujarat but was arrested in Kutch with the help of the Gujarat Police and brought to Punjab on transit remand. During intensive interrogation, he initially misled investigators by claiming the bodies had been thrown into a canal. However, sustained questioning and electronic evidence led to his confession and disclosure of the burial site.
The SSP said in the presence of an Executive Magistrate and forensic experts, the police exhumed the decomposed bodies from a field in Ludhiana on May 6.
Subsequent arrests included Manjot Singh, alias Fruity, and Jagseer Singh, alias Kalu, both of whom played direct roles in the murder. The sixth accused Kuldeep alias Billa, was also apprehended, rounding out the core group involved. Police teams are actively pursuing a seventh suspect, who remains at large.
Toora described the case as a “premeditated and cold-blooded crime,” emphasising that it was committed by a habitual offender during his parole. “Despite attempts to mislead the investigation, our team remained focused on facts and evidence. The recovery of the bodies and arrest of the culprits is a testament to the professionalism and dedication of the Kapurthala police,” he said.
Jalandhar