Punjab police claims cracking ex-sarpanch murder case

Punjab’s Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav on Monday (January 12, 2026) said they have cracked the murder case of a former sarpanch within days by arresting seven accused, including two shooters.

Last week, Jharmal Singh, the former sarpanch, was allegedly killed after being shot from point-blank range at a wedding venue in Amritsar, following which the opposition parties cornered the AAP government over the deteriorating law and order situation in the State.

Mr. Yadav said police investigations have established gangster Prabh Dasuwal as the mastermind behind the murder, committed due to old enmity, underscoring the planned and targeted nature of the crime.

He said the accused have been identified as Sukhraj Singh alias Gunga (20) of Thakkarpura in Tarn Taran, Karamjeet Singh (23) of village Passanwal in Gurdaspur, Jobanpreet Singh (19) of village Bhai Ladhu in Tarn Taran, Harpreet Singh alias Happy (27) of village Bahadur Nagar in Tarn Taran, Jobanpreet Singh (20), Kulwinder Singh alias Kinda (20) and Armandeep Singh (18), the latter three residents of village Kalsian Kalan in Tarn Taran.

He said Sukhraj Singh alias Gunga has a prior criminal history involving theft and Arms Act cases, and was also involved in the Rajwinder Singh alias Raj, Sarpanch murder case.

Mr. Yadav said investigations revealed that gangster Prabh Dasuwal had old enmity with the deceased former Sarpanch and had even fired at him earlier, clearly indicating a planned and well-orchestrated conspiracy. “The investigation, aided by a combination of technical surveillance and precise human intelligence, enabled police teams to identify both shooters, Sukhraj Singh alias Gunga and Karamjeet Singh, involved in the crime,” he said, addressing a press conference.

He said sustained inter-State coordination, intelligence-led tracking and close cooperation with Central agencies and Chhattisgarh Police led to the arrest of both shooters from Raipur in Chhattisgarh. “Both accused were deliberately changing locations across multiple states, including Maharashtra, Delhi, Bihar, Punjab and Chhattisgarh and were using forged Aadhaar cards to conceal their identity and evade police detection,” he added.

The DGP said another police team, with assistance from the State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) Mohali, arrested two more accused, both named Jobanpreet Singh, from Mohali. He said Harpreet Singh alias Happy was arrested from Valtoha, while Kulwinder Singh alias Kinda and Armandeep Singh were arrested from the Bhikhiwind area of Tarn Taran. He added that investigations revealed these five accused played a crucial role in the conspiracy by providing logistics, shelter, weapons and a motorcycle to the shooters.