Chandigarh, Sep 25 (IANS): A Chandigarh Police Head Constable was shot dead at his residence in Sector 22 here on Friday morning, with police taking his son into custody in connection with the killing, officials said.
The deceased has been identified as Nitin, posted in the Accounts Branch of the Chandigarh Police, they said.
The incident took place at the cop’s official residence in Sector 22.
Police received information about the shooting, following which a team from Sector 17 police station reached the spot and began an investigation.
A country-made pistol was recovered from the scene, according to police. Forensic experts were also called in to collect evidence from the house.
Nitin was taken to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead, reports said.
Senior Superintendent of Police, Kanwardeep Kaur, told the media that the victim’s wife and son were present at the time of the crime.
She said the investigation is underway and nothing could be said at this stage.
When the police arrived, the victim’s son Armaan Singh initially tried to mislead investigators. He told the police that some outsiders had killed his father. However, the police grew suspicious of his statements and began questioning him intensively.
Later he was taken into custody for a detailed interrogation. Officials are examining the circumstances leading to the shooting and the role, if any, of people present in the house at the time of the incident.
Police officials have so far maintained that the investigation is at an early stage.
Station House Officer (SHO) Sudesh Kumar said it was too early to comment on the circumstances or motive behind the killing.
The incident triggered a police response in the Sector 22 locality, with senior officers and forensic personnel visiting the house.
The area was examined for evidence and the circumstances surrounding the shooting are being reconstructed.
Reports have also linked Nitin’s son to an earlier case involving a vehicle accident in which people were allegedly hit by an SUV. He is currently out on bail.
Police are examining whether there is any connection between that case and Friday’s incident, though no such link has been officially established so far.
The body has been sent for post-mortem examination, police said. Friday’s murder comes a week after Punjab Police Assistant Sub-Inspector Harjit Singh was shot dead in Amritsar while on duty on September 18.
Earlier, Assistant Sub-Inspector Jaswant Singh, posted in Ajnala in Amritsar, had a providential escape when motorcycle-borne assailants attacked him on September 11 and the bullet passed through his turban.
