Fatehabad: Police arrested three youths covered their faces with mask involved in firing at a cloth store Prem Vadtra Bhandar at village Majra about 10 km from Fatehabd the day after Diwali on 2nd November, demanding a ransom amount of Rs 20 lakh from the owner of the shop Prem Chand threatening to kill him in case the amount will not be paid throwing a letter in the cloth store. Jaipal Singh DSP said that police arrested three accused on the basis of footage of CCTV in the area. The arrested accused were identified as Rinku a resident of Ayalki, Surendra from Azad Nagar and Lakhwinder Singh from Bhirdana. During preliminary questioning, the suspects revealed that their motive was to make quick money for leisure activities, and this was the first time they had planned such ransom demand crime. The police are also investigating the involvement of another person Rahul, also a member of a gang involved in this conspiracy, who may have written the note.
Kuldeep Singh SHO Sadar police station said that police after registering a complaint by the owner of cloth store presented the alleged accused in the court remand three on two days police remand to further investigate their involvement in the crime, including questioning them about weapon and the whereabout of fourth youth Rahul yet absconding as well as other details. He said, three masked youths arrived on a bike at Prem Vastra Bhandar, at around 4 pm, one of them fired shots at the store, while another threw a note demanding Rs 20 lakh in ransom. The note, written by Surendra, warned that failure to pay the amount could result in further violence, threatening the safety of the store owner and his family. Later, the youths fled the scene. Information reveals, Majra is becoming a commercial hub with popular clothing stores that ship products nationwide as well as also having the growing business of furniture showrooms, attracting customers from Fatehabad and surrounding places.
DSP Jaipal Singh said the police acted swiftly, forming a crime scene investigation team and registering a case based on the complaint filed by the shop owner. The note thrown in the cloth stores had a chilling message, “I am Surendra from Fatehabad, need Rs 20 lakh. You decide how to give it, this is just a trailer, else something worse could happen. You and your family will be responsible for your own safety. If the police intervene, remember, I will be the last one you see. Ram-Ram.” Investigation during police remand revealed that absconding youth Rahula, a resident of Fatehabad had written the letter, Surinder was the mastermind in the case who had planned the conspiracy in jail in the recent past when he was arrested in a drug smuggling case. Information also revealed that all arrested youths were involved in smuggling and sale of drugs.
In response to the incident, Bajrang Das Garg, president of the Haryana Pradesh Vyapar Mandal, after the incident visited Fatehabad and met the shopkeeper. During a press conference, he warned the police to take quick action in response to the incident as well as several other similar incidents reported in the past sometime in the area including Hisar and Hansi. He warned the police to take quick action, threatening a shutdown of Fatehabad if the matter was not resolved soon.
