A 22-year-old man who worked at a highway dhaba in Moga district has died after being hit by a pistol bullet, and police are investigating two very different accounts of how the shot was fired.

Source: TV9 Punjabi

Sandeep Singh worked at Karan Dhaba in Jalalabad Purbi village, under Dharmkot on the Jalandhar–Moga highway. On Wednesday evening (October 21), a bullet struck him in the chest at the dhaba. He was being taken to the Civil Hospital in Moga when he died on the way, near Lohara Chowk, TV9 Punjabi reported.

Two accounts, one investigation

According to Dharmkot DSP Sukhwinder Singh Brar, preliminary investigation indicates that another young man present at the dhaba, identified in reports as Bikram Singh, was handling a pistol when it went off accidentally and the bullet hit Sandeep. Police took the body into custody and sent it to the mortuary of Moga's Civil Hospital for post-mortem, and seized the dhaba CCTV cameras' DVR to examine the footage.

Sandeep's mother Aman Kaur, however, has alleged a deliberate killing. In her statement to Dharmkot police — station in-charge SI Inderjit Singh confirmed a murder case has been registered on her statement — she said her son had money due from Bikramjit Singh, a resident of the same village, that he had repeatedly asked for it back, and that after an argument late on October 21 the accused allegedly shot him in anger. These are allegations recorded in the police case; they have not been established in court.

Source: Daily Punjab Headline

What is solid

  • Sandeep Singh, a worker at Karan Dhaba in Jalalabad Purbi (Dharmkot, Moga), died of a pistol bullet wound to the chest on Wednesday evening, October 21.
  • Police have registered a murder case on the statement of his mother, Aman Kaur, and seized the dhaba's CCTV DVR; the body was sent for post-mortem at Moga Civil Hospital.

What is only claimed

  • His mother alleges Bikramjit Singh deliberately shot him after an argument over money Sandeep was owed.
  • The Dharmkot DSP says preliminary investigation points to the pistol going off accidentally while it was being handled — police say the CCTV footage and a detailed probe will establish what happened.

Relatives said Sandeep, the only son of his parents — his father Kuldeep Singh works as a labourer — had worked at the dhaba for about nine years and also has a sister. Police say further legal action is being taken on the family's statements and complaint, and the case is being investigated from every angle. No arrest had been reported in the sources at the time of publishing.

Source: The Stellar News