THREE VEHICLES BURNT AT A EUNUCH’S DERA NEAR SADULSHEHAR; GOLD AND CASH MISSING

Raj Sadosh/Abohar.

A theft and arson incident occurred late at night at the dera of transgender Channi in Dholipal village, about 45 km from Abohar, on the Hanumangarh state highway. Three vehicles, including a Scorpio, were gutted by fire. Approximately 51 tola of gold, 2.25 kg of silver, and Rs 12.70 lakh in cash are reported missing. The police have registered a case against unidentified persons and initiated an investigation.

According to SHO Rajiv Royal, the police arrived at the scene at around 1:00 AM. Three vehicles were found burning inside. The contents of a cupboard and other belongings were found scattered. At the time of the incident, Channi was in Sadulshehar. She stated that there was no one present at the Dholipal dera at the time.

Channi said that a Scorpio and two Camper vehicles were destroyed in the fire. Thieves stole gold jewelry weighing about 51 tolas, silver jewelry weighing about 2.15 kg and Rs 12.70 lakh in cash from a cupboard and other locations. She mentioned having an old enmity with certain individuals and suspects that the crime was committed in her absence due to this rivalry.

SHO Rajiv Royal said that footage from CCTV cameras installed inside and outside the dera was examined. Two youths were seen arriving on a motorcycle around 12:10 AM. One stood outside while the other entered; the latter committed theft in one of the rooms and then set the vehicles on fire using an inflammable substance. The DVR was recovered intact.

Teams have been formed to search for the suspects based on the footage. A Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team has also been summoned for a thorough investigation of the crime scene. Based on preliminary inquiries, the SHO said that Channi has had a long-standing dispute with certain transgender from Haryana over the practice of soliciting ceremonial offerings (badhai) in the Chhatargarh area. The police are not currently ruling out a connection between this enmity and the incident that occurred at night.