Amritsar, Aug 24 In a broad daylight crime, an NRI was shot at on Saturday by two turbaned assailants at point-blank range inside his residence at Daburji village in Amritsar district.
Personal dispute involving his ex-wife over property is believed to the reason behind the crime, sources said.
Sukhchain Singh, a US resident who came here 20 days back, was shot in the head and arm by the two assailants in front of his family, including children, who could be seen in CCTV footage pleading not to harm their father with folded hands.
Singh was immediately rushed to a private hospital in Amritsar with critical bullet injuries. Five members of Singh's ex-wife's family have been booked in connection with the shooting incident, in which a local gang is suspected to be involved.
In the CCTV footage, the miscreants, who came on a motorcycle and did not wear masks, are seen entering the house in the morning. Singh's children were playing inside the house at the time. One of the armed assailants is seen approaching the NRI and asking him to enter a bedroom at gunpoint. As he resisted, both assailants fired at him from close range.
The entire family was in the house when the crime took place.
After shooting Singh, the miscreants managed to escape. The video also showed locals rushing to help the victim, who was seen lying on the ground in a poll of blood.
As per the police, the two assailants entered the house on the pretext of asking to see the registration certificate of a luxury car that Singh purchased earlier this week.
DCP Vishaljit Singh told the media that the police have collected the CCTV footage from the house and launched an investigation to find out the motive behind the crime, and information about the assailants.
As per sources, Sukhchain Singh returned from the US about a month ago and was engaged in the purchase of a hotel and a luxury vehicle.
The family told the police that there was no demand for ransom.
The police are examining the possibility of the involvement of a local gang.
Punjab Minister for NRI Affairs, Kuldeep S. Dhaliwal, also said that the incident might have been the fallout of a personal dispute.
“We are verifying whether the issue was personal. Property and other personal disputes involving NRIs are prevalent these days. My appeal to the NRIs is that any personal issue should be resolved through discussion and mutual consent,” Dhaliwal told the media.
Meanwhile, claiming that the law and order situation in the state has collapsed, Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Badal said, “Such incidents are happening every day in Punjab. Punjabis are not safe even in their homes. I think you (Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann) should resign on moral grounds.”
BJP's Manjinder Singh Sirsa said he was pained and shocked by the incident.
“Looks like there is no law and order in Punjab... Bhagwant Mann’s 'Rangla Punjab' is just a dialogue,” he said.
Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said NRIs once proudly called Punjab their home, but they now live in fear.
“AAP government's incompetence has turned Punjab into a danger zone,” Warring wrote on X.
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