Ludhiana: Rural police have arrested another suspect in the daylight shooting of a Manuke village resident, though the alleged mastermind remains at large two months after the killing.Chatar Singh, a resident of Badhni Kalan in Moga, was apprehended by Hathur police in connection with the murder of Gagandeep Singh. Officers recovered a Hyundai Verna and a baseball bat, both allegedly used in the Jan 5 attack. Sub-inspector Kuldip Kumar, SHO of Hathur Police Station, has confirmed that Chatar Singh was part of the armed group that traveled from Moga to execute the crime.The arrest brings the total number of people in custody to 12, including several accused of providing shelter to the primary suspects. The suspected ringleader, Gursewak Singh Mota, continues to evade capture. Police have conducted several raids on his known hideouts and have now initiated legal proceedings to declare him a proclaimed offender (PO).Investigators allege that both Mota and a co-accused, Gurdeep Singh (who was arrested the day of the murder), opened fire on the victim using illegal firearms near the village grain market. The murder appears to be the culmination of a dispute that local leaders had attempted to settle through traditional mediation.Peace Deal Gone WrongAccording to the victim’s mother, Gurmeet Kaur, the conflict began on New Year’s Eve when Gursewak Mota allegedly attacked Gagandeep’s friend, Ekam Singh, with a sharp-edged weapon. During a subsequent village panchayat meeting aimed at reaching a compromise, Gagandeep Singh reportedly confronted Mota, questioning his continued harassment of Ekam’s family. The mother alleges that this confrontation sparked a grudge, leading Mota to orchestrate the fatal shooting just five days later.
