Ludhiana: Police have launched a murder investigation after a 20-year-old undergraduate student was killed by a gunshot wound to the neck at a friend’s house in the Haibowal area on Tuesday night.Authorities have booked five individuals, including a local financier and his brother, after confirming that a licensed firearm issued just two months ago was the weapon used in the fatal incident. The victim, identified as Pankaj Kumar of Chander Nagar, was reportedly visiting the home of his friend, Varun, a financier residing in Laxmi Nagar. Police reports suggest several other associates were present at the time the weapon was discharged.Local residents and friends moved Pankaj Kumar to Dayanand Medical College (DMC) Hospital at about 10pm, but he succumbed to his injuries shortly after arrival.Conflicting AccountsWhile the victim’s father, Manoj Kumar, alleges his son was targeted deliberately, investigators are still weighing whether the shooting was intentional or an accidental discharge. “The probe confirmed that a licensed gun, which Varun obtained in Dec 2025, was used in the crime,” said sub-inspector Krishan Lal, SHO at Haibowal police station. “It remains to be determined whether the accused shot the victim deliberately or if it was an accidental fire.“Family’s Warning IgnoredManoj Kumar, a mechanic, told police he had long disapproved of his son’s association with Varun and his brother, Kaif. He stated he had visited their home previously to ask them to stop inviting Pankaj over. On Tuesday night, the father received a phone call from a third party instructing him to rush to the hospital under the guise that his son had been in a “road accident.” It was only upon arrival that hospital authorities informed him of the bullet wound to the neck.Legal Action and SuspectsPolice have registered a case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Arms Act. The individuals charged in this case are Varun (financer) and his brother, Kaif, besides financier’s relatives Garry and Avi, along with Nishant, a friend. The charges were filed under BNS sections 103 (murder) and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy), besides Arms Act sections 25 and 27.The five suspects fled the scene following the shooting and remain at large. Haibowal police have formed search parties to track their movements, while the licensed firearm involved in the case is being sought for forensic analysis.
