Argument over dropping point resulted in auto driver shooting Punjab DSP: Police

Chandigarh: In connection with the murder of Arjuna Awardee and DSP Dalbir Singh Deol, Punjab Police have made a big headway. The Punjab Police on Thursday arrested an auto driver in connection with the murder case, officials informed. The Police recovered a 9mm service revolver from the possession of the accused, identified as Vijay Kumar, from Jalandhar.

Deol, 54, posted at Punjab Armed Police (PAP) headquarters in Jalandhar, was found dead under mysterious circumstances. The body of Punjab DSP and Arjuna Awardee Dalbir Singh Deol was found with multiple injuries abandoned near a canal on January 1. According to the police, Dalbir Singh Deol was killed on January 1 while returning home after New Year celebrations. Police have also revealed that they have chased the sequence of CCTVs and cracked the case with the help of the footage, adding that an argument over a dropping point led to his killing.

According to reports, Dalbir Singh Deol was dropped at a bus stand in Jalandhar from where he took an autorickshaw to visit a motor garage where his car was stationed for repair. He returned in the same auto and then hailed another one at the bus stand. He asked the second auto driver to drop him at Khojewal village, but initially, the driver refused to cover the entire distance. DSP Dalbir convinced him to drop him midway. However, during the journey, the accused auto driver engaged in a heated argument with the DSP, ultimately snatching his service revolver and fatally shooting him on the spot, said officials. 

Elaborating on the arrest, Commissioner of Police, Jalandhar, Swapan Sharma, said, “We have followed the sequence of CCTV footage and tracked auto driver Vijay Kumar. Police have also recovered a 9mm service revolver from the possession of the accused. Even on the murder day, police recovered an empty shell of 9mm and that was a concrete lead of the murder.” 

Sharma further added that questioning of the auto driver is underway to verify other details related to the murder case.