Back from US, NRI shoots nephew dead in Punjab land row; arrested mid-escape

An NRI who had returned from California barely a month ago allegedly shot his nephew dead in Punjab’s Moga district on Saturday morning, ending a simmering family feud over agricultural land in a burst of violence.

The accused, 70-year-old Bahadur Singh, was arrested minutes before he could flee the country with his passport and cash, police said.

According to the police, Bahadur Singh, who has lived in the US for decades with his five children, had a long-standing dispute with his nephew Navdeep Singh over nearly 30 acres of jointly-owned farmland in village Massike, Nihal Singh Wala. The disagreement escalated after the death of Navdeep’s father, Balwinder Singh, two years ago.

Around 8 am on Saturday, Navdeep and his wife Gurpreet Kaur arrived at the disputed fields, where Bahadur Singh and his wife Joginder Kaur were already ploughing the land. What began as an argument quickly spiralled. Investigators said Bahadur Singh pulled out his licensed revolver and fired at close range, hitting Navdeep in the head. The 30-year-old died on the spot.

Eyewitnesses told police that the accused even attempted to escape by driving his vehicle over Navdeep’s body before abandoning the effort. He fled home instead, grabbed his passport and money, and was preparing to leave for the US when villagers and police intercepted him. The firearm used in the killing has been recovered.

A police team led by DSP Nihal Singh Wala Anwar Ali and ASI Jaswant Singh reached the scene and initiated an investigation. The body has been sent for post-mortem.

Navdeep leaves behind his wife and two young children, a seven-year-old daughter and a five-year-old son.

An FIR has been registered at the Nihal Singh Wala police station under Section 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (murder) and relevant provisions of the Arms Act against Bahadur Singh and his wife Joginder Kaur.

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