Moga DSP murder cracked

DSP BS Gill

Ludhiana, April 5
The arrest of three killers of Moga DSP Balraj Singh Gill (46) and Monica Kapila (38), has brought major respite for the city police department.
The special investigation team led by Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Ashish Choudhary, who was being targeted for not solving the case, was beaming with a sense of achievement. The police was also at the receiving end for the character assassination of the duo. Though, from the day one, the police was suspecting the involvement of petty criminals behind the double murder, yet as the days passed the police began to lose focus and started probing contract killing and personal rivalry angle as well.
Besides questioning over 2,000 youths living in Hambran and the surrounding areas, the police grilled Sanjay Agnihotri, owner of the farmhouse, Narinderpal Singh, a friend of the slain DSP, and an Assistant Commissioner of Police-level officer for not sounding an alert on time.
Vandna Arora, a close friend of Monica, was also grilled by the police, as she knew about Monica's intimacy with the DSP, but she kept the matter under wraps.
The police was receiving brickbats from all quarters for failing to crack the mystery. The police had tried everything written in the criminology book, but success was eluding them.
Not only the city police, even senior officers posted in other districts, including, MF Farooqui, DIG (Ludhiana range), and team consisting the SSP, Jagraon, and the SSP, Khanna, were also conducting a parallel probe in the case.
Several police officials visited the farmhouse to collect evidences so that they could solve the murder mystery.
“The SIT team led by DCP Ashish Caoudhary deserves special appreciation. The team had burnt the midnight oil to crack the case. The officers had worked very hard to crack the blind murder mystery,” said Commissioner of Police Ishwar Singh. 

Sequence of events

February 1: Moga DSP Balraj Singh Gill and Monica Kapila killed at a farmhouse in Golf Link
February 2: DSP cremated, police launches massive hunt to nab the criminals
February 3: Monica cremated, husband and woman friend probed. DSP’s friends, cook and security guards questioned.
February 4: Police forms teams, visits Himachal Pradesh
February 5: Cars of Balraj and Monica recovered from two different locations
February 6: Police starts working on a theory of robbery killing
February 7: Massive combing operation launched in Hambran, Noorpur Bet and surrounding villages
February 8: Police allegedly rounds up few suspected youths with criminal background
February 9: 25 persons probed in the case.
February 11: Technical experts from Delhi called to crack the case
February 12: Hardeep Dhillon, Additional Director General of Police (Administration), conducts a meeting to check the progress of the case
February 13: ADGP visits the site where the murder took place and asks a volley of questions from the investigative team
February 14: Doctor, alleged to be the paramour of Monica and an acquaintance of DSP Gill, probed in the case. Found innocent
February 14 to 22: One-hour meeting of the SIT team, headed by DCP Ashish Chaudhry, conducted daily to discuss the development of the case
February 23: Two SIT teams formed to probe the case from different angles.
February 24: The case became more mysterious after it was discovered that another woman frequently rang up the DSP
February 25: Police launches fresh probe in the case to find out the antecedents of the woman who used to call the DSP
March 7: SIT regrouped to from a strategy. Fresh probe launched
March 18: SIT sends communiqué hinting Makhan Singh, main accused of Barnala ASI’s murder, had murdered the DSP and Monica
March 19: SIT takes U- turn, claims Makhan Singh has no involvement in the case
March 23: Ishwar Singh replaces Ishwar Chander as the new Commissioner of Police
March 24: Family of DSP meets The police Commissioner
March 25: Police Commissioner reviews the progress in the investigation conducted in the case
April 2: One accused questioned in connection of murder case. The statements does not corroborate
April 3: Intelligence team follows the movement of the suspect
April 5: Police picks up three accused on grounds of double murder. The trio confess to have killed Monica and the DSP