CHANDIGARH: Punjab Police on Monday arrested an Army jawan in connection with the murder of four soldiers at the Bathinda Military Station on April 12. Gunner Desai Mohan, the sole eyewitness in the case, had falsely stated that he had seen two masked men running into a nearby forest after killing the solders in their sleep.
“The motive is personal,” said Senior Superintendent of Police of Bathinda Gulneet Singh Khurana. He said further investigation will be conducted in the case after taking remand of the accused. “The accused was making inconsistent statements during the inquiry being conducted by the Army and this gave us reason to suspect him,” he added.
While Khurana refused to elaborate on why the accused committed the murders, sources said the arrested jawan was allegedly sexually harassed by the slain soldiers and the killing was an act of revenge.
According to an Army statement, Desai Mohan confessed to the crime after sustained interrogation. It added that he first stole an INSAS rifle on April 9 along with 20 bullets and four bullets of an LMG and hid the weapon. He recovered the weapon in the wee hours of April 12 and then killed four of his colleagues of the 80 Medium Regiment of Artillery while they were sleeping, it added.