9 July 2025 : The two men arrested for the murder of a 62-year-old retired professor, whose body was discovered in the Morni forest area on Monday, had shot him with a licensed gun after he refused to pay ₹40 lakh, police said.
The victim, Amarjeet Sihag, a resident of Aerocity, had been picked up by the duo from outside his house on July 3. Since the accused – Vikram Singh of Mansa and Balwinder Singh of Muktsar – were familiar to him, Sihag accompanied them without hesitation. During the drive, they demanded ₹40 lakh from the victim, who, under pressure, made a phone call to his domestic help, Duni Ram.
In his statement to the police, the victim’s son, Rahul, told police Sihag asked the domestic help to arrange the money urgently. Police believe the professor was being threatened during this call. But later Sihag refused to hand over the money, following which the accused took him near Panchkula and shot him dead.
During interrogation, the duo confessed that Balwinder used his licensed gun to fire three bullets at the victim. The weapon is yet to be recovered.
This is the second murder case reported in Mohali within a week. In a separate incident, unidentified assailants stabbed and killed a 32-year-old man, Chandan Singh of Behra village, Derabassi, while he was out partying with friends on Patiala Road in Zirakpur on July 3. According to the police, Chandan had arrived at the party in an auto-rickshaw with two friends. Around 2 am, they got into an argument with six youngsters on two motorcycles. The confrontation escalated, and the bikers attacked Chandan with knives. He sustained two stab wounds on his back and one near the head. He was rushed to the hospital but succumbed to his injuries.
Summary:
Amarjeet Singh (63), a retired Mohali professor, was found dead in Morni forest after two arrests revealed kidnappers demanded ₹35–40 lakh. Police allege it began as ransom but ended in murder during failed negotiation.