A 35-year-old man died after a group of assailants allegedly thrashed him and chopped off his right hand in Punjab's Ludhiana on Saturday morning. Shakti Singh, alias Bhoora, a resident of Basant Nagar, was severely injured and left lying in a pool of blood as the attackers fled the scene.
He later succumbed to injuries while undergoing treatment at a hospital.
After thrashing Bhoora, the assailants allegedly placed the severed hand in a polythene bag and handed it to a local grocery shop owner, asking him to deliver it to the victim.
Bhoora was rushed to a hospital after locals alerted the police. He later succumbed to his injuries as doctors suspect that excessive blood loss led to his death.
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According to the police, the incident came to light after the grocery shop owner who received the severed hand of the victim raised an alarm and locals alerted the authorities. Eyewitnesses told the police that the accused handed the severed hand to the grocer and asked him to give it to Bhoora. When the shopkeeper refused, the assailants allegedly threatened him with a similar fate before fleeing.
One arrested, hunt on to nab other suspects
One of the seven accused has been arrested and a hunt is on to nab the remaining suspects after the Daba Police registered a murder case.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Roopdeep Kaur said preliminary investigations suggested that the victim and the accused knew each other well.
They had reportedly spent Friday night at the house of a common associate Vicky. A spat broke out between Bhoora and the accused on Saturday morning, following which the attackers allegedly called their associates and assaulted him.
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Old rivalry may have led to murder: Cops
“The accused thrashed the victim and chopped off his right hand at the wrist before fleeing. We are questioning the arrested accused to establish what triggered such a brutal attack,” the ACP said.
The police suspect that an old rivalry may have led to the murder, though the precise motive is yet to be established.
The ACP also said Bhoora had been facing trial in at least 12 criminal cases, including murder, attempt to murder and drug peddling, registered at various police stations. The police are probing all possible angles as they work to establish the sequence of events and identify the roles of the remaining accused.