Jammu: An 11-member gang of interstate criminals, mostly from Haryana, were arrested for killing a cab driver whose body was recovered from here, a senior police officer said on Saturday.
The body of Mangal Singh, a resident of Jammu, was recovered from Bajalta forest on Friday, five days after he was reported missing while returning from Katra in Reasi district to drop passengers at a railway station.
“Police have successfully resolved the case of the abduction and murder of the cab driver by apprehending a gang of interstate criminals from Ratia Fatehbad area of Haryana,” Jammu Senior Superintendent of Police Joginder Singh told reporters here.
He said a missing report was filed on August 19 by Singh’s brother after he failed to return home from Katra.
On August 21, the case escalated with the filing of an FIR under relevant sections of law when it was suspected that the cab driver had been abducted along with his vehicle, based on CCTV footage, he said.
The SSP said the police teams collected and analysed CCTV footage from various locations, along with call data records and hotel records in Katra.
After getting an actionable lead, a police team travelled to Sirsa, Haryana, where raids were conducted at multiple locations with the assistance of the local police and counter-intelligence unit, leading to the arrest of 11 accused — 10 residents of Haryana and one from Punjab.
The stolen vehicle belonging to the cab driver was also recovered, the officer said.
He identified the arrested accused as Gurpreet Singh alias Gopi, Sukhvinder Singh alias Preet, Gursavak Singh, Gurdeep Singh alias Bana, Lucky Singh, Sahil alias Tara Singh, Arjun alias Katiya, Lucky Singh, Gopal Kumar alias Gopi and Gurjeet Singh — all residents of Nagal Tehsil Ratia of Fatehabad district of Haryana — and Kuldeep Singh alias Kala of Khusla Sardulgargh in Punjab.
The gang conspired in Katra to abduct the cab driver and, with criminal intent, brutally murdered him near Bajalta, where they later disposed of his body, the officer said, adding that the body was recovered and handed over to his family.
