Chandigarh: Punjab Police have confirmed the presence of shooter Rajan, alias Piyush Pehalwan, in India after identifying matching tattoos on both his arms during investigation into the murder of Yadvinder Singh in Kotkapura in 2025. Investigators found that the tattoos seen in CCTV footage from Sector 9 were identical to those on Rajan, establishing his role and movements before the crime.According to initial investigation and interrogation of shooters Rajan and Pritam Shah, both men arrived in Chandigarh four to five days before the Sector 9 murder and conducted recce of victim Chamanpreet. The two are currently undergoing treatment at GMCH-32 after being referred from a Haryana hospital on Thursday, following injuries sustained during a brief encounter with police in Kaithal.Bikramjit Singh Brar, SP, AGTF/Derabassi, Punjab Police, said while scrutinising CCTV footage of the Sector 9 murder, police noticed tattoos on both arms of the shooters. These matched the tattoos Rajan is known to have, strengthening evidence linking him directly to the crime.During interrogation, the accused disclosed that they stayed in different hotels and also at the residence of an associate during the four to five days they spent in the city before committing the murder in Sector 9. Further investigation revealed that Rajan had left India for Malaysia in 2023 and did not return officially. Police later found that he landed in Nepal and entered India in Jan this year. Officers also said Rajan had been in touch with gangster Lucky Patial since 2023 and that the weapons and logistics used in the crime were arranged on Patial’s instructions.Investigators said the shooters repeatedly changed their locations and appearance while in Chandigarh to avoid being tracked. They also switched phones and SIM cards several times during their stay. Officials added that during a three-day period in the city, they alternated between staying in hotels and at the home of an associate.Police stated that Pritam was driving the motorcycle during the attack, while Rajan fired at Chamanpreet Singh. After the murder, the duo fled towards Landran in Mohali and later abandoned the motorcycle on the outskirts of Banur. From there, they fled in a car with their associate and headed to Kaithal.A joint team of 20 AGTF personnel, supervised by SP Brar, and supported by STF Haryana, traced the shooters to a house in Chaushala village in Kaithal. When police asked them to surrender, the accused allegedly opened fire, and a bullet struck a Punjab Police head constable. He escaped unharmed as he was wearing a bulletproof vest. Police retaliated, firing at the shooters and injuring both in the legs before arresting them. Three pistols were recovered from their possession.
