The Division Number 6 police have arrested two men in connection with the murder of Kishan Thapa, a Nepalese national who was brutally hacked to death in Giaspura. Fifteen other accused are still absconding, police said.
The arrested suspects have been identified as Lalit Kumar of Satguru Nagar and Raju Rana of Jain Colony, Daba Road. Both are known habitual criminals involved in thefts and snatching cases. Police also identified two other accused as Khan alias Mohammad Javed Khan and Shivam Rajpoot.
The incident occurred on Sunday evening, after Kishan allegedly witnessed a recent theft committed by the accused. Suspecting that he had alerted local residents, the attackers targeted him in revenge.
According to Inspector Kulwant Kaur, SHO of Division Number 6, the police arrested Lalit and Raju from Sherpur Chowk as they tried to flee the city. Sharp-edged weapons and a motorcycle used in the crime were recovered from them.
Eyewitness accounts and police investigation revealed that Kishan was attacked while retrieving his bike along with his friend, Sameer Thapa. The assailants intercepted them, and as Kishan fled to a nearby labour quarter, they chased him inside and fatally assaulted him.
The FIR was filed based on a complaint from Kishan’s sister, Seeta Devi, who said she rushed to the scene after being alerted by an acquaintance, Deepak Dubey. Kishan was found lying in a pool of blood and declared dead at a private hospital.
Police confirmed that the murder was premeditated, as the assailants had a verbal spat with Kishan a day earlier and returned with reinforcements to kill him. A manhunt is underway to trace and arrest the remaining 15 accused.