Police cracks Jammu shoot-out cracks, arrests 11 accused persons

Jammu: Jammu Police in a major breakthrough have cracked the January 21 shoot-out case and have arrested 11 accused persons including two juveniles and harbourers.
Senior Superintendent of Police, Jammu, Joginder Singh addressing a presser here on Wednesday evening told media that the conspiracy hatched for the murder of Sumit Jandyal, who was shot dead in a broad-daylight on January 21 in Jewel Chowk area in the heart of Jammu City, has been unearthed by and so far 11 persons including two Juveniles have been arrested in including shooters, conspirator, co-accused and harbourers.
Divulging the details, the district police chief said that on January 21, 2025 at 1:40 pm, unknown persons fired several rounds on a person travelling in SUV a vehicle near Jewel Rotary and fled away from the spot after snatching one scooty.
Police team from Police Station Nowabad immediately shifted the injured to the Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu where he was pronounced dead by the doctors.
The senior police officers visited the spot and immediately several police teams fanned into different directions.
On the basis of human and technical, intelligence and analysis of CCTVs, assailants were identified.
“A Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted that rounded up around 30 suspects and raids were conducted in Jammu, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh,” the top cop said.
During the course of investigation, he said that it came to fore that it was an issue of old rivalry between Vikas Slathiaalias Vicky Slathia of Mandi Gharota, Gurha Slathia, Vijaypur, District Samba and Sumit Jandyal of Vijaypur.
It was the result of their rivalry that Akshay Kumar was murdered by Vicky Slathia group in 2023 at Ramgarh and subsequently, in Akshay Kumar murder case police team raided GMC Kathua and during cross fire between police team and gangsters, PSI Deepak Sharma was martyred and one notorious criminal namely Vasudev Kumar alias Shunnu of Shahzadpur, Ramgarh, district Samba, was killed.
To take revenge for the killing of Vasudev Kumar alias Shunnu, Vikas Slathia plotted the murder of Sumit Jandyal.
The SSP added that Harsh Singh alias Banta of Bikram Chowk, Jammu was already in touch with Vikas Slathia and he was told by him to arrange killers for the murder of Sumit Jandyal.
“One room was rented in the Shastri Nagar area specifically for executing the murder of Sumit Jandyal and the weapons were arranged from outside Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
He said that one car was specifically purchased for carrying out reece and execution of murder for Rs. 1,05,000/- around one-week before the murder of Sumit Jandyal, he added and said that for the last around four months proper recee was conducted regarding stay and movement of Sumit Jandyal.
During the course of investigation, the car used for the commission of crime and scooty snatched by the accused persons have been recovered from different places in Jammu and Samba Districts, he said.
Strenuous efforts are being made to arrest the remaining accused instrumental in execution of crime and police are also on job to work out the financial transactions planning and execution of the murder, he stated.
The SSP said that the main conspirator who has hatched the criminal conspiracy from outside India in carrying out murder of Sumit Jandyal has also been identified and sincere efforts are being made by Jammu Police for the deportation of identified accused to Jammu (India).
“Jammu Police is committed for the eradication of crime in Jammu and special focus will be laid down for crushing gangsterism,” he added and said that strict warning is being given to rogue elements to shun path of crime otherwise they will be dealt with iron hands.