The Panipat police detained an accused after a brief encounter on the IOCL Refinery Road here late Sunday night. The arrested man is reportedly involved in the murder of Jaideep Rathi, brother of Panipat INLD district president Kuldeep Rathi.
Police said another accused in the case was detained from Yamunanagar. With this arrest, six accused have been arrested so far.
Initial probe suggest that the accused shot Jaideep dead on December 27 near Dera Bassi in Punjab, later burnt the body in a secluded area and dumped the remains in a canal.
The accused has been identified as Gurdarshan Singh, a resident of Ambala. He sustained a bullet injury in his leg and was admitted to the civil hospital.
One of his associates, Jaljeet Singh, who is a resident of Panipat, managed to flee the spot by taking advantage of fog and darkness. Gurdarshan had come to meet Jaljeet.
Meanwhile, another accused, Jaswant Singh of Chaharwala village in Yamunanagar district, was detained by the Panipat police from near his village.
During interrogation, Jaswant revealed that he, along with his associate Gurdarshan of Ambala, was involved in the murder of Jaideep.
The accused told police that Gurdarshan was expected to meet Jaljeet during the night. Acting on this input, the police laid a trap near a canal.
As the police team reached the spot, Gurdarshan allegedly opened fire. The police retaliated and Gurdarshan was injured, while Jaljeet managed to escape. A pistol was recovered from Gurdarshan.
Jaideep Rathi had reportedly left his home on December 27 morning for his farmhouse but did not come back. His family later filed a missing complaint at the Sector 13/17 police station, suspecting abduction.
During the search operation, Jaideep’s car was found abandoned under suspicious circumstances near a toll plaza in Dera Bassi on December 28.
Earlier, police had arrested four accused — Preetam, Ravinder Rathi, Sunil Sharma and Harender Rathi — on Friday in connection with the alleged kidnapping.
The accused were questioned after being taken on one-day police remand.
SP Bhupender Singh said the accused would be produced before the court and further interrogation would be conducted.
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