Sarabjit Singh
Jammu Tawi, February 5: Jammu Police has claimed to have solved the much talked Sumit Jandial alias Gattaru murder case. In this case, 11 out of a total of 13 accused, including the main conspirator and the shelter provider, have been arrested. Of these, 2 are minors. The mastermind of this murder is said to be abroad. The car used in the crime and the scooty snatched after the murder have also been recovered. Talking to reporters at the District Police Line this evening, SSP Jammu Joginder Singh said that on January 21, at around 1:45 pm, Sumit Jandial alias Gattaru, a resident of Vijaypur, was shot dead by assailants in a red Thar car at the busiest Jewel Chowk of the city. After this, the attackers snatched a scooty from a person and fled.
The attackers were identified with the help of CCTV footage and intelligence.
This murder was the result of mutual rivalry between Vicky and Gattaru:
The main conspirator who orchestrated the crime from outside India has also been identified and efforts are on to deport him, they added.
Jammu Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Joginder Singh told reporters here several rounds were fired at Jandyal while he was in an SUV near Jewel Chowk on January 21.Jammu travel guide
The assailants left the car they were in and fled on a scooter they snatched, the SSP said. A police team immediately shifted Jandyal to GMC Hospital where doctors pronounced him dead on arrival, he said.
Given the gravity of the crime, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted, he added.
The SIT rounded up around 30 suspects and conducted raids in Jammu, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh.
Investigation revealed that Jandyal’s murder stemmed from an old rivalry between him and another gangster Vikas Slathia of Mandi Gharota in Samba.
The enmity between the two intensified after the murder of a Gataru gang member Akshay Kumar by Slathia’s gang in 2023 at Ramgarh, the SSP said.
Following Akshay Kumar’s murder, there was an exchange of fire between police and the two gangs at GMC Hospital in Kathua. Probationary Sub-Inspector Deepak Sharma and Vasudev Kumar, a notorious criminal, were killed in the encounter, he said.
To avenge Vasudev’s killing, Vikas Slathia allegedly planned the murder of Jandyal, the officer said.
Harsh Singh alias Banta was allegedly instructed to arrange shooters for Jandyal’s assassination, he said.
A one-room accommodation was allegedly rented in the Shastri Nagar area specifically to plan and execute Jandyal’s murder. Weapons were procured from outside Jammu and Kashmir, he added.
The entire conspiracy behind Jandyal’s murder has been uncovered, and so far, 11 persons have been apprehended, SSP Singh said.
Efforts are underway to apprehend the remaining accused. Additionally, police are investigating financial transactions linked to the planning and execution of the murder, he added.
Raids in five states, 30 suspects arrested
Considering the seriousness of the case, a special investigation team was formed under the supervision of SSP Jammu Joginder Singh. The police team conducted raids in Jammu, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh and detained more than 30 suspects for questioning.
After interrogating the suspects, it was revealed that this murder was the result of rivalry between Vikas Salathia alias Vicky Salathia resident Mandi Garouta Guda Salathia Vijaypur and Sumit Jandiyal alias Gattaru resident Ward No. 9 Vijaypur.
Khauf gang members killed Gattaru to avenge Shunnu’s death
Due to the same rivalry, in the year 2023, Vicky Salathia killed a gangster named Akshay Kumar in Ramgarh area of Vijaypur. During the investigation of Akshay Kumar murder case, there was firing between the police team and gangsters in GMC Kathua in which PSI Deepak Sharma was martyred and notorious gangster Vasudev Kumar alias Shunnu resident Shahzadpur Ramgarh was also killed. Vicky Salathia planned to kill Sumit Jandiyal to avenge the death of Vasudev Kumar alias Shunnu.
Harsh Singh alias Banta murder case main accused
Harsh Singh alias Banta, a resident of Vikram Chowk, Jammu, was in contact with Vikas Salathia and had asked him to arrange boys to kill Sumit Jandiyal. The attackers had rented a room in Shastri Nagar area to plan the murder of Sumit Jandiyal. Weapons were arranged from outside Jammu and Kashmir. If sources are to be believed, two pistols were used in this murder. Both pistols are said to be of different bores. Four bullets fired from the pistol caused the death of Sumit Jandial.
The miscreants followed Gattaru for 4 months
A week before the murder, a black Alto car was bought for Rs 1.05 lakh to follow and kill Sumit. For the last 4 months, the attackers were following Sumit’s movement. During the investigation of the case, the car used by the attackers and the scooty snatched after the murder were recovered from Jammu and Samba districts.
After professional investigation, Jammu Police has so far arrested 11 people involved in this murder. These include shooters, conspirators, co-accused and people who gave shelter to the accused. Two of the 11 people are minors. Efforts are on to arrest the rest of the accused directly and indirectly involved in this murder. Money transactions and other things are also being investigated in the case. Police say that the entire planning of this murder was done by a criminal sitting outside India. He has been identified. Efforts are being made to extradite him to India.
Accused and their role in the murder
* Harsh Singh alias Banta resident of Vikram Chowk Jammu was the main conspirator. He was constantly in touch with Vicky Salathia.
* Mithun Kumar resident Nagrota was the conspirator and kept account of money transactions.
* Abhay Pratap Singh alias Mooi resident Nai Basti and a minor were the shooters of the gang.
* Shiv Kumar Bhagat alias Shibu resident Sarika Vihar Talab Tillo was involved in the conspiracy and did the reccee of Gattaru.
* Amit Kumar alias Chhidi resident Gol Panj Peer Talab Tillo and Arun Kumar resident Vikram Chowk were co-accused.
* Ajay Kumar resident of Vikram Chowk and Raj of Old Seemapuri Delhi had given shelter to the attackers.
* Ruhan Farooq, a resident of Ramban district is also an accused in this case. He is currently living in Asrarabad Sidhra.
Another minor accused was involved in this case. His identity has been kept secret.
Police has arrested Karanjit Singh alias Gugu of Khauf Gang from Jammu. Gugu had arranged shooters to kill Gattaru and sources said that the order for this came from Malaysia. Actually, the main leader of Khauf Gang, Vicky Singh is hiding in Malaysia and is running the gang from there. The entire conspiracy was hatched at his behest.
