Ludhiana: Three days after 70-year-old property dealer Satnam Singh, who had returned from England, allegedly died by suicide at a hotel in Ludhiana, a purported video recorded before his death has surfaced in which he accused his uncle’s daughters and a central government officer of harassing him. He alleged that a false case had been registered against him and that pressure was being built on him to transfer his land and houses.An Instagram page, “Justice for Satnam Singh”, has also been created, seeking action against those named in the video. A post on the page said the family would not perform Satnam’s last rites until the accused were arrested.In the purported video, Satnam said his uncle had five daughters and had adopted him as his son. He said that after his uncle’s death in 1990, his aunt had lived with him for 31 years and that his family and wife had taken care of her.Satnam said that during the last stages of his aunt’s battle with cancer, she had willed her house to him.He alleged that his aunt’s daughters — Harvinder Mona Bhatia, Rajvinder Medhwan and Meenu Puri — had, using the influence of a central govt officer, got a false FIR of property fraud registered against him. He alleged that they demanded that five acres of land and two houses in Sarabha Nagar be transferred in their names in exchange for getting the FIR cancelled.Satnam also alleged that the women threatened to have his two sons, Samardeep Singh and Sartaj, named in the FIR if he did not comply with their demands.The video does not independently establish the allegations made by Satnam. The claims are part of a purported recording that surfaced after his death.The Instagram page carried another post that read, “Arrest the culprits. This is not suicide. This is murder. #Justice”. The family has sought action against those named in the video and alleged that Satnam was driven to take the extreme step because of pressure related to the property dispute.Talking to TOI, police commissioner Swapan Sharma said police had arrested three persons in the case, including Satnam’s sister, brother-in-law and a friend. He added that raids were being conducted to nab the remaining accused.Asked whether the central govt officer had been named in the case, Sharma said she had no role in the case and was a distant relative of the family.On the family’s decision to not perform the last rites until the accused were arrested, Sharma said police had asked the family to cremate the body.The case has brought renewed focus on the property dispute that Satnam had referred to before his death. Police are now investigating the circumstances surrounding his death as well as the allegations contained in the video.Man Found Dead In Hotel–On Sept 21, 70-year-old UK-based man Satnam Singh was found dead in a hotel room on Pakhowal Road in Ludhiana–The man had returned from England and had allegedly stayed in the hotel without informing his local relatives–Hotel staff found his body using a master key after he failed to respond to calls asking him to check out–His son Samardeep Singh had told police that his father had been communicating through his UK number until Sunday and was deeply distressed over a property dispute in which relatives had allegedly implicated him in a fraud case.
