19-year-old youth was murdered for fighting off robbery attempt: Mohali police

The 19-year-old youth found dead in Vikas Nagar, Nayagaon, on Friday morning, was stabbed to death while fighting off a late-night robbery attempt, police said on Tuesday.
Cracking the case, police have arrested two youths, identified as Akash, alias Pasichia, 18, and Karan, 19, both residents of Safeda Colony, Nayagaon.
A native of Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, the victim, Ashish Kumar, was found dead near a private school in Vikas Nagar around 8 am on Friday. His body bore two stab wounds in the chest.
Having launched a probe, police secured CCTV footage from the crime scene that captured two assailants fleeing after attacking Ashish.
With the help of human and technical intelligence, police arrested Akash on Saturday that led to the arrest of Karan on Sunday. The weapon used in the crime was also recovered from the duo.
Addressing a press conference at the Mataur police station on Tuesday, DSP Mohit Agarwal said the victim, along with his friend Kartik Bhargav, a cab driver, was taking a walk after dinner in a nearby street around 10.30 pm on Thursday.
Lurking in the area to find a target, the two accused saw it as an opportunity to rob Ashish and Kartik of their belongings. They initially tried to snatch Ashish’s mobile phone, but he put it in his pocket and tried to fight them.
Amid the tussle, Kartik escaped in his taxi. He later tried to reach Ashish at his mobile phone, but could not establish contact.
The DSP said during the physical confrontation, Akash restrained Ashish’s arms and Karan stabbed him twice in the chest. As he fell unconscious, they fled the spot, also leaving the victim’s mobile phone behind to avoid being tracked.
However, they were captured in the CCTV cameras installed in the area.
Kartik had also heard Karan addressing Akash and directing him to restrain the victim. Kartik revealed Akash’s name to us, following which we found him named in another assault case at Nayagaon police station.
“We arrested Akash, who revealed Karan’s involvement,” said Ranbir Singh Sandhu, station house officer (SHO), Nayagaon.
Even in the previous case, the accused had assaulted the victim with a sharp-edged weapon in the back. They were absconding ever since.
Victim had arrived from Shimla just 10 days ago
In the present case, Ashish’s mother Hemlata, 40, had told police that her son had shifted from Shimla to Mohali just 10 days before his murder and was working with a property dealer as a helper in Nayagaon.
After her son did not respond to multiple calls on Thursday, she had contacted his employer, Gurinder Singh.
He informed her that Ashish left with his friend Kartik in the latter’s car around 7 pm and didn’t return to work on Friday.
The mother said she later got to know that the body of a youth, bearing a tattoo of his name on an arm, was found in Vikas Nagar. She rushed to the Nayagaon police station, where she identified the body as that of her son.
A case under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code was then registered at the Nayagaon police station.