A day after a 30-year-old man allegedly killed his wife, in-laws, and two stepchildren after setting them on fire in the Mehatpur area of Jalandhar, on Wednesday morning, his body was discovered hanging from a tree on the banks of the Sutlej River in Ludhiana’s Khurshedpur village.
Kuldeep Singh, a resident of Khurshedpur village, is accused of committing the murders with the assistance of his friends Kulwinder Singh and Malkiat Singh. Kulwinder Singh has been arrested, according to Superintendent of Police (Investigation) Sarabjit Singh Bahia, while Malkiat Singh is on the run.
According to Mehatpur station house officer (SHO) Balraj Singh, the Ludhiana rural police have opened an inquest under Section 174 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The accused is thought to have committed suicide.
Kuldeep, who was addicted to drugs, entered his in-laws’ house on October 18, while the family was asleep, and set them on fire after dousing them in petrol. He fled after locking the door from the outside. The victims were identified as Paramjit Kaur, 28, her two children, ages eight and five, her father, Surjan Singh, 50, and her mother, Jogindero Bai, 49. While Jogindero and her eight-year-old granddaughter died on the scene, the other three victims were taken to Nakodar Civil Hospital and then to Jalandhar Civil Hospital. According to police, all three died as a result of their injuries.
On the basis of the statement of Lakhwinder Singh, Surjan Singh’s younger brother, a case has been registered against the accused at the Mehatpur police station under Sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 120-B (criminal conspiracy), and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code.
According to the FIR, the accused married Paramjit a year ago. Their marriage was their second. A month after her marriage, Paramjit returned to her parents’ home, claiming torture. The village panchayat had also attempted, but failed, to resolve the dispute. However, no police report was filed. Kuldeep had tried to persuade Paramjit to return home, but she refused. According to the FIR, Kuldeep even threatened to kill the family.