Punjab: NIA announces ₹10 lakh reward for each suspect in VHP leader’s murder
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has announced a reward of ₹10 lakh each for information leading to the arrest of two suspects in the murder of VHP leader Vikas Prabhakar in Punjab.
Harjit Singh, also known as Laddi, from Garpadhana village in Punjab’s Nawanshahr, and Kulbeer Singh, also known as Sidhu, from Yamuna Nagar in Haryana, are on the run in connection with a murder case filed on May 9, according to the NIA.
On April 13, 2024, Prabhakar was shot and killed by two unidentified men on motorcycles at his shop in Nangal town, Rupnagar district, Punjab. The attackers entered his confectionery shop near the Rupnagar railway station, fired at him and then escaped.
The NIA stated that the identities of informants will be kept confidential for their safety. The agency also released photos of the suspects. as per ANI.
Earlier, on April 16, Rupnagar Police, along with the state special operating cell (SSOC) in Mohali, arrested two Pakistani-backed operatives related to this high-profile murder case.
With this, Punjab Police announced they had solved the murder case in three days.
“In a major breakthrough, Rupnagar Police, in a joint operation with SSOC #Mohali, has solved the Vikas Prabhakar Murder Case in less than three days with the arrest of 2 operatives of a terror module backed by #Pakistan-based terrorist masterminds,” the Punjab Police posted on X, formerly Twitter.
On April 16, the police arrested two individuals with two pistols, 16 live cartridges, one used cartridge, and the TVS Jupiter scooter used in the crime.
Initial investigations revealed that the terror module was run and funded by handlers based in Portugal and other locations, the police stated.
The NIA took over the case in May after a directive from the Union home ministry in this regard. Officials told PTI that the probe agency had been brought in to uncover the larger conspiracy behind Prabhakar’s killing, which aimed to spread terror in the region.