LUDHIANA: A gruesome murder in Ludhiana came to light after CCTV footage captured a couple transporting a dismembered body hidden in a household drum on a bike. The case revealed that a carpenter allegedly dismantled his friend’s body while his children played on the roof, with his wife allegedly assisting in the cleanup.Punjab Police confirmed on Friday that they had arrested woodworker Shamsher Singh Shera and his wife Kuldeep Kaur in connection with the death of Davinder Singh, a 30-year-old digital printing professional from Mumbai.

The victim’s body was discovered on Thursday, cut into six pieces and scattered near the Jalandhar Bypass. According to investigators, Davinder had arrived in Ludhiana by train on January 6 to purchase new machinery.

Shortly after arriving, he met with his friend Shamsher. Additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP) Sameer Verma stated that the two men consumed “chitta”, a local term for heroin, at Shamsher’s house. While under the influence, a heated argument broke out over an unpaid debt. “During the altercation, Shamsher pushed Davinder, which knocked him unconscious. Believing the man was dead, Shamsher used a saw to dismember the body, a process that reportedly took him two and a half hours,” Verma said.

CUTTING THROUGH FRIENDSHIP’S REMAINS

• Debt and drugs | After a heroin-fuelled argument over a missing debt, a carpenter allegedly dismantled his friend’s body while his children played on the roof, before his wife stepped in to help “clean up” the crime.
• Drum-run dump | Police have arrested a local carpenter and his wife after CCTV captured the gruesome disposal of a body hidden in a household drum, like a string of similar incidents reported in the past.
• Sawn ‘alive’ | A Mumbaikar who travelled north to buy printing gear was met with a saw-wielding friend; police say he was carved up and scattered across a bypass after falling unconscious during a drug-induced spat.
• White epidemic | As police keep looking for the final missing remains, the case stands as a grim testament to the volatility of the state’s ongoing narcotics epidemic and the savage resolution of a private grudge.

Additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP) Sameer Verma said that: “While most of the remains of Mumbaikar printer Davinder Singh have been recovered, one arm is still missing. We suspect it may have been taken by stray animals.” Both of the accused — Shamsher and his wife, Kuldeep Kaur — remain in custody facing murder and conspiracy charges as the investigation continues