LUDHIANA: A 32-year-old architect was shot dead in a broad daylight in Dugri Phase-I on Thursday. The assailant pumped four bullets in his body and escaped.Police claimed that the architect was murdered over personal rivalry.The victim, Mandeep Singh Bansal, of Khanna Enclave, Dhandra road, had gone to visit a construction site in Phase-I. After visiting the site, he was about to sit in his car when the assailant fired at him.His family has accused the husband of a woman with whom Mandeep had an illicit relation behind the crime.According to information, Mandeep left the house around 9am to visit the under-construction house in Phase-I, Dugri. He reached the site at 9.15 am and came out at 10.02am.After scanning the CCTV footage, a bike-borne man was seen reaching the spot at 9.30am and waited for Mandeep to come out. The accused also loaded his weapon at the spot.“When Mandeep came out of the construction site and moved towards his car, the accused fired at him. Mandeep sustained four bullet injuries. The accused escaped from the spot on his bike and later parked it at the main market of Dugri Phase-I. The accused then walked towards the Sidhwan Canal,” said police.Mandeep was alive when the accused fled the spot. Eight minutes after the incident, a neighbour came out and saw Mandeep. As the woman raised an alarm, Mandeep asked for some water from her. Meanwhile, Sukhdev Singh, who was getting his house constructed from Mandeep reached the spot and took him to a nearby hospital. He was then referred to Dayanand Medical College and Hospital where he died.Mandeep’s brother Surmeet Singh said, “We lived in Shimlapuri two years back. There Mandeep developed relationship with a married woman. When her husband Balwinder came to know about it, he threatened Mandeep with dire consequences. Following this, we shifted to Dhandra Road. However, Mandeep continued his relationship with the woman. Her husband Balwinder has killed Mandeep.”According to information, Mandeep and Balwinder had quarrels earlier too.The officials said on the compliant of Surmeet, the police have booked Balwinder under Section 302 (murder) of the IPC.However, when police checked the footage of a CCTV camera installed in the locality, the assailant was found to be someone else.ADCP Lamba said, “The police have identified the accused who hailed from the same locality where Balwinder lived. It is a part of investigation if it is a contract killing or someone has helped Balwinder. The police are also not ruling out the possibility of some other rivalry, except for the illicit relation, as a cause behind the murder.”

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