25-year-old held for murdering 2 friends in Ludhiana

A 25-year-old man was arrested on Monday for allegedly murdering his two friends, police said.
According to police, the accused, Balraj Singh, pushed the duo into a canal near Jhammat Bridge in Raqba village and returned home.
Police said that when the victims’ families enquired about their whereabouts, the accused concocted a story about a road mishap. He later accused confessed to the crime in front his father, who contacted a middleman for a compromise with the families of the victims, police said. However, the victims’ kin, including Narinder Singh and Jagjit Singh of Bhutta village in Dehlon, reported the matter to the police.
The Hathur cops from Khanna police district registered a first-infromation (FIR).
Khanna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Ashwani Gotyal said police are exploring multiple angles, including a potential dispute related to Narinder’s marriage, where the woman’s family may have opposed the union.
Narinder had solemnised a marriage against the will of the woman’s family and Jagjit had helped him.
Police said they are also investigating if Balraj murdered the duo following some superstition as Diwali is around the corner. Police said people do practice ‘sorcery’ in the area.
Based on the information provided by the accused, police have fished out the bodies. They seized the bike used in the crime. The complaint was filed by Narinder Singh’s father, Manjit Singh, and Jagjit’s father, Budh Singh, both residents of Bhutta village.
They said Balraj had taken Narinder and Jagjit with him on his motorcycle on the evening of October 23, allegedly on the pretence of going to Rara Sahib for dinner.
However, when the two friends did not return home, the families asked Balraj, who they said failed to provide a satisfactory explanation.
He claimed an unidentified vehicle had hit their bike and he lost consciousness.
When he gathered consciousness, he found that Narinder and Jagjit were not there and retuned home.
The complainants said Balraj had no injury marks, which raised their suspicions.
The SSP added that the next day, October 24, Balraj confessed to his crime in front his father Baldev Singh.
The accused and his father visited a relative, Swaranjit Singh, in Takhran village. The duo asked Swaranjit to negotiate a compromise with the victims’ families, the SSP said.
After learning about the confession, the complainants informed the police.
The SSP said a case was registered under Section 103 (1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the Malaud police station.