Panipat: Panipat police have arrested another suspect linked to the murder of Jaideep Rathi, brother of INLD Panipat district president Kuldeep Rathi, following a short exchange of fire late Sunday night. The arrest took place near the IOCL Refinery Road, officials said.
The accused, identified as Gurdarshan Singh, a resident of Ambala, was injured in the leg during the encounter and was later shifted to the civil hospital for treatment. Police said a country-made pistol was recovered from his possession.
According to investigators, Gurdarshan was allegedly involved in the killing of Jaideep Rathi, who went missing on December 27. Preliminary findings suggest that Jaideep was shot near Dera Bassi in Punjab, after which his body was set on fire in an isolated location and the remains were disposed of in a canal.
Police said Gurdarshan had come to Panipat to meet an associate, Jaljeet Singh, a local resident. Acting on this information, a police team laid a trap near a canal area. When officers attempted to intercept him, Gurdarshan allegedly fired at the police, prompting retaliation. Taking advantage of dense fog and darkness, Jaljeet managed to escape from the spot.
In a separate operation, police also arrested another accused, Jaswant Singh, from near his village Chaharwala in Yamunanagar district. During questioning, Jaswant reportedly admitted that he, along with Gurdarshan, was directly involved in Jaideep’s murder.
With these arrests, the total number of people taken into custody in the case has risen to six. Earlier, police had arrested four suspects—identified as Preetam, Ravinder Rathi, Sunil Sharma and Harender Rathi—in connection with the alleged abduction of Jaideep. They were questioned after being placed on one-day police remand.
Jaideep Rathi had left his residence on the morning of December 27, saying he was heading to his farmhouse, but never returned. His family later filed a missing person complaint at the Sector 13/17 police station, suspecting foul play. The following day, his car was found abandoned in suspicious circumstances near a toll plaza in Dera Bassi, which intensified the investigation.
Superintendent of Police Bhupender Singh said the newly arrested accused would be produced before a court and further interrogation would be conducted to establish the complete sequence of events and identify any remaining suspects. The search for the absconding accused is ongoing, police added.
