Pakistan Handler Behind Amritsar ASI Murder, Police Claim

Amritsar’s police chief, Harmanbir Singh Gill, told reporters that the gruesome killing of Assistant Sub‑Inspector Harjit Singh was not a random act of violence but a contract arranged from abroad. According to him, a man operating out of Pakistan dangled money and a role in the narcotics trade to lure two local youths into the plot.

The handler, Gill said, even demanded visual proof – a video of the officer lying dead – to confirm the job was done and to keep the killers in his grip. “They filmed Harjit Singh after he fell and sent the clip to the handler,” the commissioner explained. Police are now working with forensic experts to extract the footage from the suspects’ phones and will trace the location data to cement the link in court.

After months of surveillance, the police set up a series of checkpoints across the city, including a critical one on Thanda Road. When the suspects tried to flee, they opened fire. “We returned fire, six rounds from our side against four from theirs,” Gill recounted. One of the men was hit, rushed to a hospital and pronounced dead on the way. The second managed to slip away in the darkness and is still being pursued.

The murder has sparked political ripples. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced an ex‑gratia of ₹1 crore for Singh’s bereaved family, along with an equal insurance payout. DGP Gaurav Yadav visited the scene, vowing that “the accused will be brought to justice.” Meanwhile, senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Tarun Chugh expressed grief and questioned the law‑and‑order record of the AAP‑run state government.

Authorities say they have recovered the suspect’s mobile devices and are awaiting forensic analysis. They expect the video and location metadata to pinpoint the overseas handler, thereby creating a “watertight case” for the courts.

As the hunt continues for the escaped gunman, the incident underscores the uneasy cross‑border dimensions of crime in Punjab, where local gangs are increasingly being entangled with foreign interests.