NRI shoots down Sarpanch brother in Ludhiana

Chandigarh: A sarpanch (village headman) was shot dead at point blank range by his NRI brother, with whom he was entangled in a property dispute, outside a gym in Ludhiana city on Tuesday, police said.

The victim, Bhupinder Singh, who was a leader of the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal and sarpanch of Jhammat village in Ludhiana district, was accosted by his brother Narinder Singh, who is a Canadian citizen.

The sarpanch, who was sitting inside his Toyota Innova multi-utility vehicle and was waiting for the gym to open, was shot at least five times by his brother with a pistol from point blank range.

Bhupinder, 45, was taken to a nearby hospital by the gym owner and others but doctors there declared him dead.

The whole incident was recorded in the CCTV camera of the gym.

The CCTV footage also showed another person, later identified as Soni, coming near the Innova and firing more shots at Bhupinder.

The victim fell inside the car after receiving shots in the head, chest and stomach.

The NRI brother and his accomplice have been booked for murder, a police officer said.