‘Killer’ on the run with Rs 10 in pocket

An unidentified body was found in the forest area of Sector 54 here this morning. A resident of Panchkula said he came across a man matching the description of the suspect, who claimed he had committed a murder and was on the run, with just 10 rupees in his pocket.

According to the police, the body was discovered by a passerby in the morning. Preliminary investigations suggest that the victim was murdered late Sunday night, but the exact time and cause of death will be confirmed following a post-mortem examination.

It came to light that just minutes after committing the crime — around 9:25 pm on Sunday night — the suspect was seen merely 200 metres from the crime scene in Palsora village (Sector 54), trying to find a way out of the city.

The Panchkula resident recounted his disturbing encounter with the suspect in front of Franco Hotel in Mohali. “The suspect looked to be in his mid-twenties and his clothes were filthy. He asked me for directions to Ambala. I was wary and didn’t take my phone out,” he said.

The man appeared disoriented. “He said he had committed a murder and was on the run, with just 10 rupees in his pocket. I brushed him off saying that I didn’t have cash,” said the Panchkula resident. What startled him even more was the suspect’s erratic behaviour — at one moment expressing panic and desperation, and the next asking odd questions.

“He even asked for my number. When I refused, he gave me his instead. But, I didn’t take it seriously and just nodded to end the conversation quickly,” he added.

“The suspect said he was willing to walk to Ambala. At the time, I thought he was just some drugged-up labourer. I didn’t pay much heed,” the Panchkula resident recounted.

“But when the cops visited my place today, I realised the man I met had actually committed the murder. Now, I think the dirty clothes he was wearing weren’t just filthy — they likely had blood stains.”

While the police are trying to identify the deceased, local residents have raised safety concerns and the need for increased police patrolling, particularly in sparsely populated areas.

The police are making efforts to piece together the sequence of events that led to the murder in Sector 54 forest.

The authorities have urged anyone who might have seen the suspect to come forward with information.

Chandigarh