PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
The police arrested six individuals on charges of murdering a father-son duo in Rudrapur area of Udham Singh Nagar district. The senior superintendent of police Manikant Mishra said that the incident occurred on Monday during a dispute over a commercial property located in Galla Mandi in Rudrapur.
The victims, Gurmej Singh and his son Manpreet Singh, were shot dead when they reportedly attempted to stop the accused from demolishing their shop with a mechanical excavator. He said that the complainant Surendra Singh reported that Awadhesh Saluja and his brother Dinesh Saluja, along with their associates, arrived at the shop late at night with the machinery and labourers. When the complainant’s family intervened, the confrontation escalated and gunfire followed. Mishra said that police registered an FIR at Rudrapur Kotwali under sections 103(1), 109, 351(2), 191(2), 191(3) and 190 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Mishra informed that three police teams were formed to investigate the case. “These teams collected forensic evidence, reviewed CCTV footage and conducted manual surveillance to identify and trace the suspects. Investigation revealed that the property had been rented by Awadhesh to the deceased Gurmej five years ago. After Awadhesh defaulted on a bank loan, the shop was auctioned and later purchased by Gurmej’s family. This led to tension between both parties, with prior threats issued by the accused demanding the shop be vacated,” he said.
The SSP informed that on the night of the incident, the accused attempted to reclaim the property by force. As the victims tried to stop the demolition, the accused reportedly fired upon them. Police arrested Awadhesh Saluja, Dinesh Saluja, Hemant Saluja, Harish Saluja, Charanjit Saluja and Vishal Anand. A .32 bore pistol used in the crime was recovered from Awadhesh. Police also seized the mechanical excavator and tractor used at the scene. Mishra said that the investigation is ongoing and the police are also searching for five unidentified suspects.
