Alert in Punjab after armed men abduct, thrash SP

In an incident that has triggered an alarm in Punjab, a Superintendent of Police and two others were allegedly abducted and thrashed by five armed men who dumped them some distance away and sped away in his vehicle last night.
The vehicle of the Jalandhar SP Salwinder Singh was later found near Tajpur village here at a spot where curiously the body of an unidentified man was found.
Police said they are not ruling out the involvement of militants in the incident.
Inspector General (Border Range) Lok Nath Angra said high alert has been sounded and search operation was launched to apprehend the culprits.

Salwinder Singh, his friend Rajesh Verma and their cook Madan Lal were returning from Narot Mehra area of Pathankot last night when they were abducted, according to the complaint filed by the SP.
He said Singh said that five youth waylaid their vehicle and kidnapped them. Later, the armed men thrashed and dumped them on the outskirts of Tajpur village.

Soon after the incident, ADG (crime) Hardip Singh Dhillon, Angra, SSP Gurdaspur Gurpreet Singh Dhillon and SSP Pathankot R P Bakhshi reached the spot with heavy police force.
Angra said the police was taking the matter seriously and investigating all angles, including possibility of involvement of militants.

According to the police, the body of a man, identified as Ikagar Singh, was found near the vehicle, which made the case more complex. Ikagar was a resident of nearby Phoolgarh village.
Meanwhile, the SP's friend Verma was admitted to a private nursing home in Pathankot, the IG said, adding he was also being questioned.
The cook Madan Lal was untraceable, police said.