Two individuals, including a foreign-based gangster, have been booked in connection with the daylight murder of AAP leader Lucky Oberoi in Jalandhar. According to police officials, personal enmity is suspected to be the motive behind the killing.
Police have registered a case against gangster Jograj Singh alias Joga Pholriwal, who claimed responsibility for the murder in an unverified social media post, and another accused, Dalbira. The case has been registered under relevant sections of the BNS and Arms Act at the Division 6 police station in Jalandhar, based on a complaint filed by the victim’s family, officials said.
However, the shooter and his accomplice, who were captured on CCTV cameras, are yet to be identified. Several police teams have been formed to track them down.
In the brazen daylight attack, an unidentified assailant shot Oberoi outside a gurdwara in Model Town, Jalandhar, around 7.30 am on Friday. The incident occurred soon after he stepped out of the gurdwara after paying obeisance, police said.
CCTV footage shows that as Oberoi (43) came out of the gurdwara and sat inside his Mahindra Thar, when the attacker, wearing a black hoodie, approached him on foot, opened fire and fled. His accomplice was waiting nearby on a two-wheeler.
Satwinderpal Singh alias Lucky Oberoi, a financier by profession, was the Aam Aadmi Party’s ward in-charge in the Jalandhar Cantonment area.
An unverified social media post, allegedly by gangster Joga Pholriwal, later claimed responsibility for the killing.
The post levelled several allegations against Oberoi and said he was killed due to personal enmity. It also claimed that the murder was linked to a dispute over the presidency of a college.
A senior police officer said on Saturday that Joga Pholriwal and Dalbira have been booked for the murder of Oberoi. It is believed that Joga, who hails from Pholriwal village in Jalandhar district, is living abroad.
Police sources said Oberoi and Joga were earlier friends and can be seen together in a Facebook post where they are sharing a cake.
However, their relationship reportedly turned bitter over the election of the students’ union president of Khalsa College.
Oberoi’s brother, Damandeep Singh, on whose statement the FIR was registered, named Joga and Dalbira in his complaint. He alleged that the duo had threatened Oberoi some time ago.
However, police said the family had not lodged any formal complaint regarding the alleged threat at that time. On Friday morning, Oberoi and Damandeep had gone to the gurdwara in Model Town along with a friend when the shooting happened.
Police said multiple teams are working to trace the shooter and his accomplice, who were seen fleeing the crime spot on a Honda Activa, both wearing hoodies.
Meanwhile, opposition parties — the Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP — have criticised the AAP government over the incident. They blamed AAP government for a collapse of law and order in Punjab.
Also Read: AAP leader Lucky Oberoi shot dead in Jalandhar
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