The Mohali police said on Tuesday that three suspects, including two shooters, who allegedly killed a 30-year-old kabaddi player-cum-promoter in the middle of a tournament a day ago, have been identified.
The suspects are associated with a gang which orchestrated the killing. The police said the gang wanted to exert its dominance over kabaddi tournaments and considered the player close to jailed gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria. Kanwar Digvijay Singh, alias Rana Balachauria, was shot at by the gunmen after he arrived with his team to take part in a tournament in Mohali on Monday. He was critically injured in the attack and was rushed to a private hospital in Mohali, where he was declared dead.
The incident took place at Sohana in Mohali, where a private kabaddi tournament had been going on for the past few days, SSP Harmandeep Singh Hans said, adding that the assailants fled on a motorcycle after firing from a .30-bore weapon.
"Doni Bal and Lucky Patial-allied gang is behind the murder, and the crime was executed by the accused at their behest," the SSP told reporters in Mohali on Tuesday.
Asked about the reason behind the killing, he said, "The reason is dominance over Kabaddi tournaments. This gang considered Rana Balachauria close to Bhagwanpuria, and this murder is believed to have been prompted by this."
The shooters have been identified as Aditya Kapoor alias Makhan and Karan Pathak alias Defaulterkaran, both residents of Amritsar, the SSP said, adding that it was a planned attack and only Balachauria was the target.
"Kapoor and Pathak are associates of gangster Doni Bal, and that gang has claimed responsibility. Kapoor already has 13 FIRs against him, while Pathak has two," SSP Hans said.
He denied any link between Rana Balachauria's murder and the killing of singer Sidhu Moosewala a few years ago. " Balachauria had no role in Moosewala's murder. Rana does not have any previous criminal history," he said.
Hans said the accused involved in the kabaddi player's murder will soon be arrested. Two to three more accused who facilitated the shooters will also be nabbed, he said.
As many as 12 police teams, including two each in Amritsar and Delhi, are searching for the accused. CCTV footage is also being scanned.
Also read: Mohali kabaddi player murder, video surfaces
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