LUDHIANA: A man earlier jailed over the 2020 assassination of Shaurya Chakra awardee Balwinder Singh Sandhu is a primary suspect in the murder of a 25-year-old local real-estate agent.Police say: “The fatal attack on on Harjinder Singh stems from a rivalry linked to cross-border drug smuggling. The prime accused, Ravi Kumar of Chandarlok Colony in Tibba, had built contacts with drugs and arms networks while in Gurdaspur jail before being released on bail.”
The man who stood up to terrorists, then became a target
In Nov 2020, Ravi was arrested for harbouring the killers of Sandhu, an anti-Khalistan activist who was shot in Tarn Taran in Oct that year. “Ravi and his associates had also assaulted Harjinder’s friend Sandeep in April 2026, for which they were charged in May with attempted murder,” police said.Investigators suspect Ravi used his prison contacts to procure guns smuggled across the border. CCTV footage captured attackers’ firing handguns that police identified as either Glock or PX5 pistols. Investigators also seized .30-bore bullet shells from the scene.Inspector Vikramjit Singh of the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) confirmed that both the real-estate agent and his alleged killers had criminal records under the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.“Harjinder Singh was arrested in a case of 3-kg heroin haul seized at Dera Baba Nanak,” the inspector said. “A drone was also seized as it was said that the heroin was smuggled from across the Pakistan border. Harjinder had another FIR under the NDPS and Arms Acts against him.”The officer confirmed that: “The initial investigation into the Tibba murder suggests that the rivalry between Harjinder and Ravi was related to drug smuggling.”On Monday, a joint operation by the AGTF and local police led to the arrest of two co-suspects: Mohit, of Jassian Road, and Manjeet “Bobby” Singh, of Chandarlok Colony. Deputy superintendent Rajan Parminder Singh, inspector Vikramjit Singh of the AGTF, and inspector Gaganpreet Singh of Tibba police had led the raiding party.The team seized a 9mm Glock pistol with a live cartridge from Mohit and Manjeet. Police said Manjeet was already a court-declared proclaimed offender in two separate drug cases.
