Latest news with #SanjayVerma
Time of India
5 days ago
- Time of India
Sanjay Verma murder case: 2 accused arrested in MP confess to have given over 1L to shooters in Ujjain
1 2 Abohar: There is a fresh twist in the murder case of Sanjay Verma, owner of New Wear Well showroom here, who was shot dead in front of his showroom by three unidentified assailants on July 7. Parnjal Sharma and Anshuman Tiwari, two of the accused arrested in MP, confessed during police remand that Vishnu Kharola from Jodhpur had handed them Rs 1.30 lakh to give to the main shooters, who have been on the run after the shootout. They said they had handed over Rs 1.10 lakh to the shooters on their way to Ujjain, while the remaining Rs 20,000 was spent on buying some other items and food for them. Police sources said Shakti and the other shooters have fled to MP where they are hiding in some undisclosed location. Vishnu Kharola, whose name came up during the remand, is reportedly said to be a partner of Lawrence Bishnoi-led gang and is handling and managing things on his behalf. Police produced Pranjal and Anshuman, who are from Lal Ghati in MP's Shajapur district, in court again Saturday after the end of their two-day remand. The court has extended it by two more days. Police are trying to ascertain the exact location of the shooters from the two.
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Indian Express
Multiple states, no digital footprints: How Punjab Police are tracking killers of Abohar businessman Sanjay Verma
Days after the murder of a well-known businessman in Abohar, the Punjab Police have launched a multi-state manhunt for the three suspects believed to be behind the killing. Despite the killers avoiding mobile phones to evade detection, police officers said multiple teams have managed to stay on their trail and map their movements. Sanjay Verma, a 54-year-old businessman, was shot dead on July 7, outside his showroom, New Wear Well, in Abohar, by three shooters. His murder has sent a wave of fear through the business community across the Malwa region of Punjab. After the Punjab Police shot dead two men allegedly associated with the crime within hours of their arrest in an encounter, questions about the veracity of that shootout and the reason they have been unable to nab the actual killers have cropped up. A senior police officer, privy to the ongoing investigation, said the shooters have been trying their best to leave no digital footprints and have resorted to not using mobile phones. 'However, we have managed to keep a track of their moves, and very soon we shall be able to put a dragnet around them,' he said. The Punjab Police have arrested two people who allegedly helped the shooters make their way through Madhya Pradesh by giving them shelter and cash. Priyanjal Sharma and Anshuman Tiwari were arrested Wednesday for allegedly providing Rs 1.3 lakh to the shooters through their bank accounts. 'These arrests will further put pressure on the killers who have run out of money, and are having difficulty sustaining themselves. It is a matter of a few days before we get to them,' a senior officer said. With these arrests, the Punjab Police said they have zeroed in on at least seven individuals connected with the Sanjay Verma murder. Two suspects, Jaspreet Singh and Ram Rattan from Patiala, were arrested within 24 hours of the killing of Sanjay Verma in Abohar, but were killed in a controversial police encounter on July 8 during an alleged weapon recovery operation. While the police initially announced their arrest, they later claimed they had died in a crossfire while a recovery of weapons was underway, and then registered an FIR saying they had been shot by the other gang members. A magisterial probe is underway to investigate their deaths, and Jaspreet's family has demanded an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Three others — Inderpal Bishnoi, Sandeep Khichad, and Pawan Khichad — were arrested on July 11 in Bikaner, Rajasthan, for providing shelter and financial support to the shooters. However, three main assailants, including Shakti from Azimgarh, Abohar, and two others identified as Rajinder alias Billa, and Jaskaran, alias Katta, remain at large. A three-member SIT, comprising the Abohar deputy superintendent of police and station house officers from Abohar city and Khuiyan Sarwar, was also formed on July 12 to probe the case. The investigation revealed a foreign handler paid Rs 1.4 lakh to the Bikaner suspects for their role in supporting the shooters. CCTV footage has also been crucial, showing the alleged shooters abandoning their motorcycle and fleeing in a Swift car after killing Verma. Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports suggest a firing took place outside Verma's residence weeks before the murder, which the police are verifying. The murder is reportedly linked to an extortion threat Verma received prior to his murder. Naveen Kumar, alias Aarzoo Bishnoi, an aide of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, claimed responsibility for the murder via a Facebook post. The case has sparked public and political outcry over Punjab's law and order situation.
Hindustan Times
13-07-2025
- Hindustan Times
Three-member SIT to probe Abohar bizman's murder
Digging deeper into the murder of 54-year-old Abohar-based businessman Sanjay Verma, Fazilka senior superintendent of police (SSP) Gurmeet Singh on Saturday constituted a three-member special investigation team (SIT). Sanjay Verma, 54, owner of a textile firm, was shot dead by three motorcycle-borne persons right outside his showroom in Abohar town at 10.15 am. (HT) Confirming the development, SSP Gurmeet said the SIT comprised the Abohar deputy superintendent of police (DSP), and the station house officers (SHOs) of City Abohar and Khuiyan Sarwar police stations. 'All efforts are being made to trace and arrest Shakti of Abohar's Azimgarh area and his two accomplices who are the prime suspects in the July 7 murder,' said the SSP. 'They received ₹1.40 lakh in their account from a foreign handler as payment for executing the crime,' said the SSP, while refusing to disclose the identity of the foreign sender or the country involved. Their three accomplices — Inderpal Bishnoi, 26, Sandeep Khichad, 28, and Pawan Khichad, 24, all residents of Kuchor village in Bikaner district — were produced before a local court and sent to four-day police remand. As per police, the trio allegedly provided shelter to the shooters and played an active role in helping them evade arrest. They also arranged financial and logistical support for the fugitives. One of the accused reportedly runs a paying guest (PG) accommodation where the shooters stayed while on the run. 'We expect further questioning during the police remand to yield more crucial leads,' the SSP added. Sanjay Verma, the victim. (HT) Even five days after the broad daylight murder of Sanjay Verma in a busy commercial area of Abohar, police have neither arrested Shakti nor identified his two accomplices, who together fired 8-10 rounds at the victim. Unconfirmed reports indicate that unidentified individuals had fired gunshots outside Verma's residence a few weeks prior to his murder. However, Ferozepur deputy inspector general (DIG) Harmanbir Singh Gill stated, 'No member of the victim's family ever informed the police about any such firing incident.' SSP Gurmeet added, 'We will certainly look into the matter to verify whether any such incident of gunfire actually occurred.' Magisterial probe underway into 2 suspects' killing Meanwhile, police have also yet to identify those responsible for the July 8 killings of Ram Rattan and Jaspreet while they were reportedly being taken for weapon recovery in police custody. Although initially claimed to be an encounter by police, the FIR states they were shot dead by their own unidentified accomplices. A magisterial probe was ordered into their killing on July 9. Police said during preliminary interrogation, Ram and Jaspreet had confessed to having facilitated firearms for the shooters. The SSP refrained from further comment, citing the matter as sub-judice and under magisterial inquiry. Protesting Jaspreet's killing, his family submitted a memorandum to the Patiala sub-divisional magistrate, demanding a CBI probe. Sukhbir meets bereaved family, condemns deteriorating law and order On Saturday, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal visited the bereaved Verma family on Saturday. Addressing the media, Badal strongly criticised the deteriorating law and order in Punjab. He said, 'The Vermas are a respected family who have always served society. If such people can be gunned down in broad daylight, how can ordinary citizens feel safe?' He pointed to a surge in crime, especially extortion and shootings, over the past two to three years, citing a recent incident where a doctor in Moga was shot for ransom. Badal accused the state government of being absent and alleged that chief minister Bhagwant Mann had allegedly ceded control of Punjab to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. AAP accuses BJP of patronising gangsters The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Saturday evening staged a protest against the alleged patronage being extended to gangsters lodged in jails by the central Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government. Leading the protest, AAP MLA from Fazilka Narinder Pal Singh Sawna accused the BJP of shielding criminals and enabling their operations even from behind bars. Former MLA Arun Narang also participated in the protest, lending support to the party's demand for immediate action against the alleged nexus between gangsters and jail authorities. The AAP leaders demanded that the Centre take strict action to dismantle the criminal networks operating from prisons and ensure accountability of officials involved in offering protection or aid to gangsters.
Indian Express
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Sanjay Verma murder case: Political blame game intensifies as shooters remain elusive
The daylight murder of Sanjay Verma, a well-known cloth merchant and fashion designer popularly known as the 'Kurta Pajama King' of Punjab, has exposed alleged gaps in the police investigation and triggered a political storm across the state. Sanjay Verma was shot dead on Monday at around 10 am, right outside his showroom in Abohar. According to eyewitnesses, three motorcycle-borne assailants lay in wait for him. The moment Verma stepped out of his car, they opened indiscriminate fire, killing him on the spot before fleeing the scene. While the shooters escaped and have yet to be identified, the Punjab Police announced the arrest of two of their accomplices, Jaspreet Singh and Ram Rattan, both residents of Patiala district, for helping the shooters escape in the car. However, within hours, both men were killed in a police encounter. This development has added fuel to the controversy. BJP General Secretary Manjinder Singh Sirsa accused the Punjab government of mishandling the law and order situation. On his visit to Chandigarh Wednesday, Sirsa said, 'First of all, the Punjab government is not able to control the law and order and criminals… Punjab has become a police state. If Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has a clean image, he should get a CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) inquiry conducted into these encounters so the truth comes out.' Reacting sharply, AAP's Punjab state president Aman Arora called the BJP's stance 'extremely shameful,' accusing it of siding with gangsters instead of supporting Verma's bereaved family. Arora said, 'While the entire Punjab stands with the family of Shri Sanjay Verma, Manjinder Singh Sirsa's open support for gangsters today proves that the BJP is backing criminals even through central jails.' After meeting the family of Sanjay Verma on Monday, Arora had stated that gangsters lodged in jails outside Punjab were behind such heinous criminal activities. Whereas, Union Minister of State Ravneet Singh Bittu held the Mann government responsible for the 'growing fear and lawlessness' across Punjab. 'Instead of owning up to their failure, AAP leaders are shamelessly pointing fingers at the Centre. This is not governance –it's a complete abdication of duty,' he added. Bittu called Arora's remarks 'irresponsible' and 'highly condemnable,' accusing him of trying to deflect attention from the AAP government's failure to maintain law and order in the state. In a statement released on Monday, Bittu announced that he would write to the Governor of Punjab, urging him to take cognisance of Arora's 'baseless allegations'. He also sought written clarifications from Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav and Chief Secretary KAP Sinha, questioning whether Arora's statement reflected the official position of the Bhagwant Mann-led government. 'Aman Arora's claim that gangster Lawrence Bishnoi is safe in Gujarat under the Centre's protection is nothing but an excuse to hide the AAP government's incompetence. These kinds of inflammatory and misleading remarks are both dangerous and unacceptable,' said Bittu. He reaffirmed that the central government has always taken a tough stance against terrorism and organised crime. 'We conducted surgical strikes inside Pakistan when needed. Do you think gangsters are beyond our reach? Once the BJP forms government in Punjab, we'll show what decisive action really looks like,' Bittu said. Pointing to the killing of Sanjay Verma, Bittu accused the Punjab government of completely surrendering to the gangster nexus. 'Extortion threats and targeted killings have become the new normal for Punjab's business community,' he said. Adding to the political slugfest, AAP's Abohar constituency in-charge Arun Narang displayed a photo showing Abohar MLA Sandeep Jakhar with Shakti, a bike driver allegedly linked to the murder. Sandeep Jakhar, who is a suspended Congress MLA and nephew of Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar, clarified that the picture was from the 2022 assembly election campaign. 'Many people get pictures taken with us during campaigns. It's illogical to link that picture to this crime,' he said. 'We have full trust' Jagat Verma, elder brother of Sanjay Verma, has expressed satisfaction over the police probe. In a video, Jagat Verma said, 'We have full trust in the Punjab Police and we are satisfied with the ongoing police investigation. We humbly appeal to one and all to please stop doing politics over this issue. We appeal to the police to nab the rest of the culprits soon… We trust that we will get justice soon.' State of probe The police said their investigations have revealed that the getaway bike was driven by one Shakti, a daily wager from Azimgarh village of Abohar. While escaping, the attackers lost control of their bike and forcibly snatched another two-wheeler. They later abandoned it on Seeto Road and allegedly fled in a waiting Swift car, driven by Jaspreet Singh and Ram Rattan. Jaspreet Singh's family has denied any involvement, alleging that he was picked up from his house in Mardankheri village of Patiala during the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday, and that they later received news of his death. They maintain that Jaspreet was a daily wager with no criminal background. The police said Jaspreet had a criminal background, and released a few pictures of him brandishing weapons. The details of his criminal record haven't been revealed as of now. At the time of filing this report, the postmortem examination of Jaspreet and Ram was underway at the Abohar Civil Hospital under strict police cover. Meanwhile, gangster Aarzoo Bishnoi had claimed responsibility for the murder on social media, tagging Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar and Maharashtra's Shivam Lonker hours after the murder. After the alleged encounter, Bishnoi again posted that the real shooters remained at large, and that Jaspreet Singh and Ram Rattan had no role in the killing. The Punjab unit of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has identified the Lawrence Bishnoi gang as the perpetrators behind this crime. The police, however, have not confirmed these claims nor provided clarity on the identities of the actual shooters.
Hindustan Times
10-07-2025
- Hindustan Times
Abohar bizman's murder: Incomplete paperwork delays post-mortem of 2 suspects killed in police encounter
The post-mortem of Ram Rattan and Jaspreet Singh, the two suspects who were killed hours after their arrest in a police encounter in connection with the broad daylight murder of an Abohar businessman, couldn't be conducted on Wednesday due to procedural delays. Three unidentified assailants had shot dead a businessman, Sanjay Verma, 54, outside his showroom in Abohar town of Punjab's border district of Fazilka at 10am on June 7. (HT Photo) Abohar civil hospital senior medical officer Gagandeep Singh said: 'The post-mortem could not be carried out as neither the families of the deceased came forward, nor were the mandatory documents submitted by the police. The bodies remain preserved in the hospital mortuary.' On Tuesday, just hours after their arrest the two suspects, both residents of Patiala, were killed in an encounter when their accomplices opened fire at a police team that was taking the duo for weapon recovery. According to Fazilka senior superintendent of police (SSP) Gurmeet Singh, the post-mortem is now likely to be conducted on Thursday. 'Besides completing the required paperwork, the cops are waiting for the families to arrive,' he said. Three unidentified assailants had shot dead a businessman, Sanjay Verma, 54, outside his showroom in Abohar town of Punjab's border district of Fazilka at 10am on June 7. After the encounter, Ferozepur Range deputy inspector general Harmanbir Singh Gill and Fazilka SSP Gurmeet Singh, in a video statement, said: 'The two suspects, Ram Ratan and Jaspreet had given lift to the trio that gunned down Verma. The two confessed to hiding the murder weapon and the clothes of the three assailants at an isolated spot near Peer Tibba, around 1.5 km from Abohar. A police team took the accused to Peer Tibba for the recovery of evidence. However, their accomplices, who were already present at the location, opened fire at the police team. In the retaliatory action, both Ram Ratan and Jaspreet sustained gunshot injuries and later died.' A .30-bore pistol was recovered from the encounter site. A case has been registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Section 103 (murder) along with Sections 25, 54, and 59 of the Arms Act. Police said that they have identified one of the shooters as Shakti, a 24-year-old helper of a commission agent from Azamgarh village, based on CCTV footage. 'Shakti, who has been missing since Saturday, was reportedly driving the motorcycle used in the crime. He was also reportedly involved in the buying and selling of old motorcycles. Shakti is among two unidentified were booked for the murder of Verma,' police said.
