Ponty suspected brother of betrayal
Investigations into the killing of industrialist Ponty Chadha and his younger brother Hardeep reveals their differences extended beyond a mere property dispute. Senior police officials investigating the double murder have revealed to this newspaper that Ponty was “extremely suspicious of his younger brother”.
In fact, sources confirmed, Ponty always suspected Hardeep of leaking vital information about his business to agencies like the income-tax department and Enforcement Directorate.
Known to be extremely secretive about his business dealings, particularly those related to liquor and construction, Ponty never shared these details with Hardeep. In February this year, I-T authorities had raided several premises of Ponty though the agency could not recover much. It was largely suspected that “some insider” had tipped off Ponty. This is precisely why the police is tight-lipped about the investigations, particularly the motive for the double murder.
Senior police officials have described as “too simplistic” the present theory being floated that Hardeep shot Ponty dead in a fit of rage following a heated altercation and was killed when PSO Sachin Tyagi returned fire. The police has categorically dismissed claims of family members that there was no dispute between the two brothers and all issues had been sorted out. “The dispute was definitely there. In fact, the distrust between the two brothers ran deep,” a senior police official said.
The biggest challenge, investigating officials adm-it, is ascertaining whether the dispute led to the killings or whether someone else took advantage of the situation.
Thus, the police is aggressively pursuing the possibility of someone else being involved in the killings. Senior police officials admitted that a detailed in-depth probe would open a Pandora’s box revealing Ponty’s complex business dealings with top politicians and bureaucrats from Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. “Ponty would have made several powerful enemies in the business that he dealt,” an official remarked.
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