Kumbra murder case: Victim’s family members leave Airport Road as police arrest four suspects

Police have also identified two more suspects and efforts are on to trace them.

Placing the remains in a coffin, the family of victim Daman Kumar protested at Sector 68/79 light point on Airport Road since 10 am on Thursday morning and demanded justice.

In response, police had blocked all four roads leading to the protest site, causing significant traffic chaos on the main arterial road, connecting Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, and surrounding roads up to 5 km away.

The protest ended around 3pm on Saturday after the family was informed of the arrest and assured that their demands will be sent to higher authorities.

The protesters demanded financial compensation and a government job for one family member. The family submitted a demand letter to Mohali SDM Damandeep Kaur, who promised to escalate their requests to higher authorities.

Then, three days after the murder, the family finally performed the last rites in Kumbra.

Earlier in the day, there were serpentine traffic jams on Airport Road and peripheral roads during peak morning hours due to the blockage. However, the situation returned to normal after 4pm and traffic on Airport Road resumed after 53 hours.

All suspects are under the age of 22

DIG Ropar Range Nilambari Vijay Jagadale, while addressing the media, confirmed that four suspects, including a youth, had been arrested. Multiple police teams were deployed in different states, including Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, to locate the suspects.

Besides the minor, the three arrested suspects were identified as Aman Taank, 19, resident of Sector 52, Chandigarh; and Arun, 19, and Akash, 22, both residents of Kumbra.

All three are from different villages in Uttar Pradesh and were living in rented houses, the DIG said. The details of the minor were omitted due to his minor status.

Earlier on Friday, police had arrested Gaurav, a resident of Sohana, originally from Uttar Pradesh, for aiding the accused. He allegedly gave them new SIM cards after the crime and dropped them off at Sector-17 ISBT in Chandigarh. Two other suspects, identified as Ritesh and Amit, are still at large.

According to DIG Jagadale, the incident took place around 6.45 pm on Wednesday following a dispute over bicycle sheds. The suspect allegedly assaulted the victim, Daman, and his friend Dilpreet and later stabbed them. Both suffered serious injuries, with Daman succumbing to his injuries, while Dilpreet is in hospital.

Escaped to Delhi by train

After the crime, the suspect had fled to Dhanas to a female relative and later traveled to Delhi by train. They took refuge with a distant relative in Tilak Nagar, Delhi, without disclosing their crime. The suspect avoided using mobile phones to make calls and instead relied on social media apps to communicate, the senior police officer said.

With the help of technical surveillance and human intelligence, police successfully nabbed them from Delhi, she added. Police continue their efforts to locate the remaining suspects as the family awaits further action to bring justice for their loss.

All suspects were brought to court for pre-trial detention.