The shooters behind Chandigarh’s most audacious daylight murder in recent years managed to remain in the city for hours after executing a chemist shop cashier in a crowded Sector 11 market, escaped through multiple states using public transport and a stolen motorcycle, and travelled nearly 500 kilometres to Jammu and Kashmir before being tracked down by Chandigarh Police in a meticulously reconstructed interstate manhunt.
The startling escape route, pieced together through CCTV footage, hotel records and technical surveillance, has emerged as one of the most significant revelations in the investigation into the June 13 murder of 45-year-old cashier Janki Das, who was gunned down inside Shree Kumar Medical Shop amid fears of gangster-linked extortion.
Police on Thursday disclosed that the accused arrived in Chandigarh on a stolen motorcycle carrying a Punjab registration number, carried out the execution-style attack in broad daylight and then quietly exited the city through Sector 43 before boarding a bus to Delhi. From there, they allegedly travelled by train to Jammu and Kashmir in an attempt to evade detection.
The disclosure sheds light on how the assailants were able to escape despite intensive naka checking and surveillance infrastructure in the city, raising fresh questions about real-time interception mechanisms even as investigators claim to have solved the case within days.
From Sector 11 to Jammu and Kashmir
According to police, the breakthrough came after investigators spent days examining hundreds of CCTV feeds, tracing transport routes and analysing technical evidence gathered across Chandigarh, Punjab, Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir.
The operation culminated in the arrest of alleged principal shooter Sunny Mehra, 22, of Samba district, and alleged motorcycle rider Aryan Sharma, 19, of Rajouri district, in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday evening.
A third accused, Amit Kumar of Samba district, remains absconding.
Police said the arrests were made possible through coordinated raids conducted by teams from the Crime Branch, Operations Cell, District Crime Cell and Sector 11 police station.
Encounter during transit
Hours after the arrests, the case took another dramatic turn when the accused were being brought to Chandigarh on transit remand.
Police said their vehicle met with an accident behind Panjab University in the early hours of Thursday, during which one of the accused allegedly attempted to escape after gaining access to a service weapon that fell during the impact.
According to the official version, the accused fired at the police party, prompting retaliatory firing in self-defence. Both arrested accused sustained bullet injuries to their legs and were shifted to Government Multi-Speciality Hospital, Sector 16, where they are undergoing treatment.
Separate legal proceedings have been initiated regarding the incident.
Extortion trail under focus
While the arrests have provided investigators with the first major breakthrough, police officials indicated that the larger conspiracy remains the central focus of the investigation.
The murder acquired national attention after Canada-based gangster Goldy Dhillon claimed responsibility through social media posts and audio messages, alleging that “Kumar Brothers” were the intended targets and warning traders against dealing with rival criminal groups.
Investigators are now examining whether the killing was intended as a targeted extortion message to Chandigarh’s business community and whether it is linked to a pattern of threats that surfaced in the same market in 2018.
Sources said investigators are expected to question the arrested accused extensively about the handlers, logistics, funding channels and communication networks behind the operation.
DGP: Focus now on masterminds
Speaking to The Tribune, Chandigarh DGP Dr Sagar Preet Hooda said the arrests represented only the first stage of the investigation and that the force was now focused on unravelling the larger criminal network behind the murder.
“The swift identification and arrest of the accused across multiple states reflects the professional and coordinated efforts of Chandigarh Police. However, our objective extends beyond apprehending the shooters. We are committed to identifying every individual involved in planning, facilitating and financing this crime. Any organised criminal or extortion network attempting to operate in Chandigarh will be pursued relentlessly and dealt with firmly in accordance with law,” Dr Hooda said.
Bigger questions remain
The reconstruction of the accused’s movements has provided investigators with crucial leads, but it has also underscored the challenges posed by modern interstate criminal networks that can execute a targeted killing, move rapidly across jurisdictions and rely on multiple modes of transport to evade capture.
For Chandigarh Police, the arrests offer an important breakthrough in a case that had shaken public confidence after the killers escaped from a market situated barely metres from a police naka. For investigators, the next challenge is likely to be even bigger — determining whether Janki Das was the intended target or a victim of mistaken identity, and uncovering the criminal network that allegedly ordered the killing from behind the scenes.
