UK hotelier’s murder: Body still in India as police await DNA report

Tuesday, 16/06/2015

http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx

COPS ASK RANJIT SINGH POWER’S FAMILY TO SEND BLOOD SAMPLES TO INDIA

JALANDHAR: The body of murdered UK hotelier Ranjit Singh Power (54), which was handed over to his friend Darshan Singh on June 6, is yet to be flown to Britain for cremation as the city police are awaiting the DNA test report.

Police had got blood samples of Punjab-born Power’s brother Amrik Singh through doctors at the civil hospital last week to conduct a DNA test. The samples were sent to the forensic science laboratory at Kharar.

Now, lab staffers have informed the cops to get blood samples of Power’s mother also as two samples are needed for DNA matching. Police have asked Power’s UK-based family to send these samples to India.

Before the post-mortem on June 2, the doctors’ team had taken out two teeth, a bone and a few hairs from the body and preserved these for a DNA test.

A senior officer of the police commissionerate claimed that the DNA test was required to be absolutely sure of the victim’s identity.

Regarding the proceedings to issue a red-corner notice for main accused Baldev Singh Deol, a UK national who is still absconding, he said the file in this regard was lying with higher police officials in Chandigarh.

Power’s Jalandhar-based friend Gulshan Sarangal said the body was still in the possession of John Pinto International Private Limited, a funeral and embalming firm, in New Delhi.

Sarangal said the samples of Power’s mother would reach the country soon.

Power had arrived in Amritsar on May 8 to settle a business dispute with old friend Baldev Singh Deol. The latter, along with his distant nephew, taxi driver Sukhdev Singh, allegedly kidnapped and strangled him to death and then threw his body into the Bhakra canal near Anandpur Sahib. The body was recovered from the Ambala canal on June 2.

On May 18, the hotelier’s brother had complained to the police that Power had gone missing during a visit to Punjab for a business deal with Deol.

He had claimed that Power was scheduled to return to Wolverhampton (UK) on May 14 but didn’t come back. However, Deol had returned to Wolverhampton on May 15. On the basis of Amrik’s complaint, a case had been registered against Deol under Section 365 (kidnapping) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). After the body was found, Section 302 (murder) was added to the FIR.