Chandigarh: Arrested Punjab Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer Sanjay Popli’s son died of gunshot injuries on Saturday. While the police said Kartik Popli, died by suicide, his family, however, has claimed he was murdered.
“They tortured my child and killed him. They tortured my domestic help for evidence. The entire vigilance bureau and the DSP are under the pressure from the chief minister. This is the way they are killing people,” the distraught mother of Kartik Popli said.
The incident comes days after the Punjab Vigilance Bureau arrested IAS officer Popli and his accomplice on corruption charges.
Anu Preet Kular, a relative of Sanjay Popli alleged that the “Vigilance people murdered him”.
“Vigilance team asked Sanjay Popli to sign on something otherwise it won’t be good for his son. They locked him in a room and took his son upstairs. We were standing downstairs and after some time we heard the sound of gunshots. The Vigilance people murdered him.”
SSP Kuldeep Chahal said that the boy allegedly shot himself in the head with his father’s licensed pistol.
“The vigilance team had arrived (at IAS Sanjay Popli’s house) for an enquiry and heard a gunshot. After verification, they realized that his son had shot himself with his licensed gun. He was taken to a hospital,” SSP Chahal said.
Popli and one more person were arrested by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau last week under allegations of corruption.
He was sent to a four-day police remand. As his remand was ending today, the vigilance team had landed up at his residence today for another inquiry.
Officials said that several gold and silver coins, cash, mobile phones and other electronic devices were recovered from the residence of arrested IAS officer today.
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