New Delhi: The body of a 20-year-old man, who was kidnapped for ransom three weeks back from a village in Punjab’s Muktsar district, was found on Saturday, news agency PTI reported.
Station House Officer (SHO) of Kotbhai police station (Muktsar) Inspector Raman Kumar said five people, natives of Punjab and Rajasthan, have been arrested in the case.
The arrested accused have been identified as Gursevak Singh, Malkit Singh, Amandeep Kaur, Mandeep Singh and Jagmeet Singh.
According to the report, Harmandeep Singh’s body was found buried in a field in Malout.
The kidnappers said that they had strangled the man right after abducting him on November 25 and had been demanding ransom from his family.
Police said Harmandeep’s family received a ransom call and a letter demanding Rs 30 lakh.
Police said that the main accused, Navjot, fled to Dubai after the incident and made the ransom calls from there.
During interrogation, the accused also revealed that they had carried out a similar incident in the past too.
Meanwhile, Harmandeep’s murder evoked a sharp reaction from opposition parties, who targeted the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government over alleged deteriorating law and order in Punjab.
“Devastating! Anarchy/lawlessness/jungle raj. On November 25, Harmandeep was kidnapped from village Kotbhai in my constituency Gidderbaha. Kidnappers demanded a ransom of Rs 30 lakhs. As his parents couldn’t pay, he was killed on Dec 16. @AAPPunjab govt owes an answer to parents and people of Punjab,” Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring tweeted.
Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal also attacked the government over the incident.
“The law and order situation has become such that even common people are being asked to pay ransoms,” Badal said in a statement.
“Heart-wrenching. Another innocent’s life was snuffed out because of the AAP government’s failure to rein in gangsters. Extortionists have taken over Punjab,” Badal tweeted.
“Chief minister Mann has no moral authority to continue in office. My condolences to Harman’s family. We are with you in this moment of utmost grief,” he added.
