The Ludhiana Police on Friday recovered DSP Balraj Gills wallet,watch and the keys of the two cars - a Chevrolet Optra and an Innova - driven by Gill and Monica Kapila. The duo was found murdered on February 2. The recoveries have been made based on the confessions by three youth arrested on Thursday in connection with the double murder,police sources said. The police also presented the three accused - Harvinder Singh alias Binder,Pritpal Singh alias Laddoo and Umesh Krar - in a local court and have been granted a police remand of two days. Incidentally,while the arrests have brought relief for the Talwara village,it has also shocked its residents. While the residents are happy that the police pressure would ease now,they claim that the arrested youths are innocent. For the last two months the police have been ordering us to present ourselves in front of the Criminal Investigation Authority (CIA) CIA staff. 2,000 people from five villages have been questioned. The police combed each and very home, said Rajinder Singh,husband of village sarpanch Harjit Kaur. However he questioned the arrests saying how could someone who has committed such a big crime,continue living in a village,which is being regularly raided by the police. The villagers claim that there was a fourth youth,alongwith the three who have been held,who was presented before the police. The fourth youth is absconding,the police claimed,even as villagers said there are many loop holes in the police story. The police asked us to present the boys before the CIA staff on April 4. We took four boys just as we had been doing for the last two months. Earlier too the police had called these boys for questioning but had allowed them to return home in the evening. However,this time the boys were arrested and we were told that they have confessed to have killed the DSP and the woman. It is hard to believe (the police theory), said Manjeet Singh,uncle of Pritpal Singh alias Laddoo - one of the arrested youths. Kaur Singh,a panchayat member of the village,meanwhile claimed that his son was also earlier picked up by police but was let off after questioning. Some boys were even beaten up by the police, he claimed. However,DCP Ashish Choudhary,brushed aside the villagers claims. We have a water tight case. The recoveries have been videographed and done in the presence of the Naib Tehsildar. The boys have given blow-blow account of how they attacked Gill from behind when he was locking the door of the farm house, Choudhary said,adding that the arrested trio had told the police that Gill,in order to protect the woman and save his life had offered every thing he had,but even then they killed both. Meanwhile it has also been learnt that one of the arrested youth,Harvinder Singh,had confessed to have committed the crime to his mother.
