In a sensational broad daylight double murder in Baghpat, an 80-year-old farmer and his grandson were sprayed with bullets by over half a dozen unidentified assailants on Monday.
Two years back, the farmer's son was also killed.
Local police along with senior officers rushed to the spot after learning of the incident. They shifted both the victims to the District Hospital where both were pronounced dead. Senior officers suspect some old dispute to be the reason for the shootout. The bodies were sent for post-mortem and a case was registered. Further investigations are on.
Reports said that farmer Satsingh, hailing from Khekra area of Baghpat district, and his grandson Mandeep (20) had gone to the fields on Monday morning with a tractor-trolley to collect sugarcane. While returning from there, unknown persons opened fire on them after intercepting their tractor on Mahrampur road.
As the information of the attack reached the village, panic gripped the entire area.
Circle Officer Yuvraj Singh and Kotwali incharge Devesh Sharma immediately reached the spot along with police force. There they found 15 empty shells at the spot.
According to the police, prima facie investigation has revealed old enmity as the reason for the murder. Two years ago, Rishipal, son of Satsingh, was murdered by a miscreant from Katha in the district jail with a country-made revolver. The needle of suspicion points to criminals who were involved in earlier killings and are now on bail.
Meanwhile, in another killing in Sant Kabir Nagar, the body of a missing youth of Belduha in Mahuli area, was found in a pond located in Siwan on Monday. He was missing for the last fortnight.
The body of the victim was sent for post-mortem and further investigations are on.
Reports said that 25-year-old Ramchandra, a resident of Jhinchak Beldiha village of the area, went out of the house on January 16 last and went missing. The family members searched for him but when their efforts went in vain, they lodged his `missing’ report with the Mahuli police.
The victim's mother, Sonmati Devi, claimed that on Monday morning, some people of the village had gone towards the pond located outside the village when they found the body of a youth lying there. They raised an alarm. Hearing the noise, a crowd gathered in the village. The police arrived and got the body out. It was identified as that of missing Ramchandra.
According to eyewitnesses, some parts of the body had decomposed.
Station Officer KD Singh said that the cause of death would be clear from the post-mortem report.