Gangster Joga Pholriwal among 4 booked for AAP leader’s daylight murder in Jalandhar

Punjab Police have registered a case against two named persons, including foreign-based gangster Jograj Singh alias Joga Pholriwal, and two unidentified individuals in connection with the daylight killing of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Satwinderpal Singh alias Lucky Oberoi in Jalandhar, with investigators suspecting personal enmity as the motive, officials said on Saturday.

The FIR has been lodged at Division 6 police station of the Jalandhar Commissionerate under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita and the Arms Act on the basis of a complaint by the victim’s family. Besides Pholriwal, Dalbira and two unknown persons have been named in the case, police said.

However, the gunman and his accomplice, both captured on CCTV footage, are yet to be identified. Multiple police teams have been constituted to trace them, officials added.

Oberoi (43), a financier by profession and ward in charge of the AAP in Jalandhar Cantonment, was shot around 7.30 am on Friday outside a gurdwara in Model Town, shortly after he stepped out after paying obeisance. According to police, CCTV footage shows Oberoi getting into his Mahindra Thar when a man wearing a black hoodie approached on foot, opened fire at close range and fled. The shooter escaped with an accomplice who was waiting nearby on a two-wheeler.

An unverified social media post, purportedly issued by Pholriwal, later claimed responsibility for the murder and levelled allegations against Oberoi. Police said they are examining the post as part of the investigation.

A senior officer said Pholriwal, a resident of Pholriwal village in Jalandhar district, is believed to be operating from abroad. Police sources said Oberoi and Pholriwal were known to each other earlier and had shared friendly ties, with photographs on social media showing them together. Their relationship reportedly soured following differences linked to the election of the students’ union president of Khalsa College, which police believe may have triggered personal animosity.

Oberoi’s brother Damandeep Singh, whose statement formed the basis of the FIR, alleged that Pholriwal and Dalbira had threatened Oberoi earlier. Police said, however, that no formal complaint regarding the alleged threats was filed at the time.

On the morning of the incident, Oberoi had gone to the gurdwara along with his brother and a friend, police said. After the shooting, the assailants were seen fleeing the area on a Honda Activa, both wearing hoodies.

Oberoi was cremated in Jalandhar on Saturday amid tight security.

Punjab minister Mohinder Bhagat said those responsible for the killing would be arrested. He added that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had sent the state Director General of Police to Jalandhar to review the situation and monitor the investigation.

Responding to criticism by a member of the victim’s family over the incident, Bhagat said it was natural for relatives to be distressed following such a tragedy.

The opposition Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal and the Bharatiya Janata Party have targeted the AAP government over the killing, alleging a collapse of law and order in the state. Police said the probe was progressing on multiple leads and assured that those involved would be brought to justice.