Two suspects detained in Mad Sandhu murder case; police suspect contract killing

Chandigarh, Oct 7 (UNI) Amritsar police have detained two suspects in connection with the murder of social media influencer and makeup artist Mad Sandhu, with investigators now probing the possibility that hired assailants were used to carry out the killing, Police Commissioner Harmanbir Singh Gill said on Wednesday.

Sandhu, whose real name was Madhusudan Sandhu, was shot dead by motorcycle-borne assailants on Loharka Road in Amritsar on October 3 while he was near a car-wash facility. Police had earlier said they had obtained "solid leads" and were examining CCTV footage and other digital evidence. Gill, addressing a press conference, said investigators had made a significant breakthrough, and two people had been rounded up for questioning. Police were working to identify and arrest the alleged shooters as well as those suspected of planning the attack.

"We have rounded up two persons and are questioning them. We are moving towards the main shooters and the masterminds behind the crime," Gill said, adding that police expected to make further disclosures once the investigation had progressed. The commissioner said preliminary findings suggested the killing could have been carried out by criminals allegedly hired for the attack. Investigators were examining Sandhu's social media activities and disputes linked to his online presence as part of the probe.

Sandhu had a sizeable social media following and had previously faced controversy over some of his online content. Police have been examining several possible motives and had earlier reconstructed the crime scene and tracked the suspected movement of the attackers through CCTV footage. Asked whether a radical group could have been behind the killing, Gill said investigators had so far found no evidence pointing in that direction. "At this stage, no role of any radical organisation has emerged," Gill said. "It appears to be a case involving hired criminals, but the investigation is still underway."

The statement is significant after purported social-media posts attributed to foreign-based gangsters claimed responsibility for Sandhu's killing. Punjab Police had cautioned that such online claims had not been authenticated and were being verified as part of the investigation. Gill declined to disclose the identities of the two detained suspects, saying premature disclosure could compromise efforts to reach the alleged shooters and people suspected of orchestrating the killing. "Give us 24 hours," Gill said. "Once the investigation reaches the appropriate stage, we will place all the facts before the public."

Police are examining the suspected chain behind the attack, including who allegedly hired the assailants, how the killing was planned, and whether others provided logistical or financial assistance. Sandhu was attacked at around 6 p.m. on October 3 after two men arrived on a motorcycle and opened fire at close range before fleeing, police said. He suffered multiple bullet injuries and died while being taken for medical treatment.

The detention of the two suspects marks the first publicly disclosed breakthrough in the investigation, though police have yet to announce any formal arrests or establish the motive conclusively.

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