In a major setback to the eight-year-old high-profile Akansh Sen murder case, the Chandigarh Police has filed an untraced report in the district court against the prime accused, Balraj Singh Randhawa, who remains absconding since 2017. Sen, the nephew of former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh, was killed on the night of February 9, 2017, after being run over by a BMW car in Sector 9, Chandigarh. Randhawa, who was allegedly driving the vehicle, fled from the spot, while his friend Harmehtab Singh, also in the car, was arrested later. Despite multiple efforts, the Chandigarh Police has failed to apprehend Randhawa. Previously in its status report into the matter, the Chandigarh Police had submitted before the court that during the investigation, it was found the accused had not travelled on the passport issued to him before the incident and that the matter was taken up with Interpol and the location of the accused was confirmed to be Canada. “On the confirmation of his location, a proposal has already been prepared for the extradition of Balraj Singh Randhawa and the administrative queries are being rectified without any delay. The property of Randhawa was attached… on November 8, 2024. A mail was received from the Ministry of External Affairs, intimating the extradition request concerning Balraj Singh Randhawa, an Indian National from Canada to India, has been forwarded to the High Commission of India in Ottawa on October 30, 2024, through a special diplomatic bag,” the police had stated. However, recently, the police have submitted in court that they were unable to trace him and filed the untraced report. Randhawa was declared a proclaimed offender merely two months after the incident, and another FIR under Section 174-A of the IPC was registered against him for evading court proceedings. It is in this FIR that police have now submitted the untraced report against Randhawa. Extradition process stuck on paper work The UT police had initiated the extradition process through the Government of India, forwarding the case to the Department of Justice, Canada. However, the documents were returned due to procedural objections. Officials claimed that the Canadian authorities had raised several queries that would take time to resolve. Police earlier this year had sought two months additional time from the district court to file a fresh status report. Family continues to seek justice The victim’s father had filed an application in the district court demanding Randhawa’s arrest. In response, police stated that Interpol had confirmed Randhawa’s presence in Canada and that the central government was working on his extradition. Despite this, no progress has been made so far. One convict already serving life term Investigations revealed that on the night of February 9, 2017, a brawl broke out during a party between Akansh’s friend Shera and the accused duo — Harmehtab Singh and Balraj Randhawa. When Akansh intervened to defend his friend, Randhawa, in a fit of rage, allegedly ran him over with his BMW, killing him on the spot. Harmehtab, who was arrested, was found guilty of murder and has since been sentenced to life imprisonment by the district court.
