One accused loudly cried, “Yes, I killed driver what can you do?”
VIVEK SHARMA
JAMMU: Janipur Court Complex on Friday witnessed unruly scenes when eleven-member inter-state gang of criminals, involved in a Nagrota murder case, was taken for remand proceedings, with accused abusing and provoking the lawyers present.
The gang, primarily from Haryana and Punjab, was arrested for murdering Mangal Singh, a local cab driver, who had gone missing on August 19 while returning from Katra to Jammu. His body was later found in the Bajalta forests.
According to reports, one of the accused, in a provocative manner, loudly admitted to the crime before group of lawyers, shouting, “Yes, I murdered him; what will you do?” This confession heightened the already tense atmosphere.
The provocative statement triggered a violent reaction from several advocates present in the court. Some of them are reported to have physically thrashed the accused gangsters. The situation quickly spiraled out of control, with the advocates targeting the gangsters aggressively.
The Nagrota police team had a tough time in controlling the chaotic situation. To tackle the escalating situation, police force deployed in the court complex also helped the Nagrota police team,
After the violence was contained, the accused were removed from the court complex and taken back to the Nagrota police station.
The 11-member gang of interstate gangsters, mostly from Haryana, were arrested on August 24, 2024 for killing a cab driver whose body was recovered from here.
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 had 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.
Initially, 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 was escalated with the filing of an FIR when it was suspected that the cab driver had been abducted along with his vehicle, based on CCTV footage.
Nagrota Police teams had 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 accused were identified 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 off his body.
Today, the court extended police remand of 11-murder accused for 8 more days.
