CHANDIGARH: A fortnight after social media influencer Manjeet Kaur succumbed to injuries she sustained after allegedly being kidnapped, tied to a tree and set ablaze near Morinda, Chandigarh Police made the first arrest in the case on Tuesday.The accused, Parminder Singh alias Pinda, a resident of Kapurthala, was arrested late Tuesday night near the Sector 38 motor market by a team from Sector 34 police station.Police produced Pinda before a court on Wednesday and secured a four-day police remand for further questioning.According to police, investigators established Pinda’s presence at the scene through call detail records and tower location data linked to Manjeet’s alleged kidnapping. During interrogation, Pinda allegedly admitted his involvement in the kidnapping but denied any role in setting her on fire.According to the preliminary investigation, Manjeet was allegedly called to Sector 34 on the intervening night of July 3 and 4 by persons known to her. She was allegedly assaulted, forced into a vehicle and taken to a forested area near Morinda in Punjab, where she was tied to a tree and set ablaze.Police said another acquaintance who reached the spot later managed to douse the flames with a blanket. Manjeet was initially taken to a hospital in Morinda before being shifted to a private hospital in Mohali. She was later admitted to PGI, Chandigarh, where she remained under treatment until her death on Aug 26.Police are treating the matter as a “double murder” case as Manjeet was allegedly around seven weeks pregnant at the time of her death.According to investigators, Pinda claimed Manjeet had told him the unborn child was his, a claim he denied. Police are probing the dispute over the pregnancy as a possible motive behind the crime.Manjeet’s mother had earlier expressed suspicion against Pinda and Rinku, another acquaintance of the victim, and both were named in the FIR. Police are also investigating whether the accused attempted to exploit an existing social media rivalry involving one of Manjeet’s acquaintances to mislead investigators and create a false trail.Further investigation is underway, and police are questioning Pinda to establish the sequence of events and determine the roles of other suspects.According to police sources, Pinda claimed during interrogation that Manjeet was not taken to the Morinda forest area and was instead set on fire behind a park in Sector 34 following an argument with Rinku.Sources said the dispute allegedly escalated into a physical altercation, after which Manjeet was taken in a car, assaulted and set ablaze. However, the flames were allegedly extinguished later when the accused feared the consequences. Rinku then allegedly took her to a flat in Kharar, believing she might survive.Police, however, said Pinda’s version cannot be treated as conclusive, as he is the first accused to be arrested in the case and his claims are being independently verified.
