Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 15 Jun: Dehradun Police claims to have solved the murder of lawyer Sohail Hasan within ten hours of the crime. The investigation has revealed that the killer was none other than the victim’s 21-year-old younger brother Shahid. The incident took place late last evening in Bhuddi village under Patel Nagar police station limits, where Sohail was shot dead inside his home.
Following the arrest of Shahid, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Pramendra Dobal disclosed the details with the media today. He confirmed Shahid’s arrest and his confession to the crime.
Investigations revealed that Shahid had long-standing disputes with his elder brother over his addiction, extravagant habits and misuse of money. A few days earlier, Shahid had withdrawn nearly Rs 10 lakhs from his father’s account without permission, leading to a violent quarrel in which Sohail had beaten him. Angered by this, Shahid planned to eliminate his brother. He switched off the CCTV recording two days before the incident and, when the opportunity arose, shot Sohail with a country-made pistol.
To avoid suspicion, Shahid placed his brother’s body on the highway and staged a protest with villagers, claiming that an unknown assailant had entered the house and committed the murder. He even misled the relatives and the neighbours, including Suhan, the uncle of the victim, who had informed police after hearing about the incident from Wasim, a driver who reported gunshots near the house. Shahid accompanied Suhan in taking Sohail to the hospital, where doctors declared him dead, but continued to insist that outsiders were responsible. Not only this, Shahid led the protest against the Police in this matter.
During the course of investigation, the police suspicions grew as Shahid gave contradictory statements. CCTV footage from nearby houses showed no outsider entering the premises, and the recording from the victim’s house had been deliberately erased. During a search, police recovered a 32-bore pistol hidden in the bathroom. On interrogation, Shahid confessed to killing his brother, citing his anger over repeated scolding and restrictions on his lifestyle.
The Police have registered cases not only against Shahid for murder but also against those who blocked the Dehradun-Paonta highway during the protest. SSP Pramendra Dobal confirmed that Shahid has been produced before court and has been sent to jail, while further proceedings continue. The protestors had even tried to create a communal angle to the crime.
