Less than 24 hours after an eminent doctor in Haryana’s Karnal district was shot dead by motorcycle-borne men, the police on Sunday claimed to have solved the case with the arrest of three persons, including a former employee at his hospital.
The prime accused bore a grudge against the doctor for dismissing him from service, the police said.
Amritdhara Hospitals Managing Director Rajiv Gupta, 56, was on his way to ITI Chowk from Chora Bazar in a chauffeur-driven sports utility vehicle when three motorcycle-borne young men waylaid him in Sector 16 around 6:30 p.m. on Saturday. They shot him three times from close range and two bullets hit Dr. Gupta. He later succumbed to his injuries during treatment.
In view of the gravity of the crime, Karnal Superintendent of Police Surinder Singh Bhoria constituted eight teams to work out the case. The accused, later identified as Pawan, Raman and Shiv Kumar, were arrested by the Crime Unit of the Karnal Police. All three are residents of Karnal.
Two pistols, both .32 bore, were recovered from the trio, the police said.
During interrogation, Pawan reportedly told the police that he worked as a dialysis operator at Dr. Gupta’s Amritdhara Hospital for more than a decade, but was dismissed from service in December last following some “differences”.
Dr. Gupta also allegedly ensured that Pawan did not get a job elsewhere in the city.
Conspiracy hatched
Pawan then hatched a conspiracy along with his accomplices to eliminate Dr. Gupta, said Karnal Inspector-General of Police Yogendra Singh Nehra at a press conference on Sunday.
The accused were produced in court and taken on police remand. Mr. Nehra said the three would be interrogated to ascertain the source of the weapons and the motorcycle used in the crime.
Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who was present in Karnal on Sunday, told media persons that the law and order system in the State was “perfect”. He said recruitments were recently made to increase the strength of the police force and modern equipment were provided to them.
The Opposition took the government to task over the alleged deteriorating law and order situation in the State. In a tweet, Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala condemned the State government for the “complete failure of law and order in the State”.
