Chandigarh: As per the media reports emanating from the US a 20-year- old youth from Mohali, who had moved there about two years ago, was shot dead at a gas station at Sacramento in California late on Tuesday night, local time.
It was reported by the local media that the victim Simranjit Singh was staying with his elder sister, Harpinder Kaur, and her husband, Hartejpreet Singh Chauhan, who had settled there several years ago. He had moved there in October 2015 to study engineering and was working part-time as a clerk at a gas station, barely 10 minutes from their house.
It is learned that victim’s father Ranjit Singh Bhangoo, a retired employee of the Punjab School Education Board, along with his wife are on their way to the US.
While interacting with a leading English tabloid over phone Hartejpreet Singh Chauhan said the entire family was shaken after Simranjit’s sudden death. However, he claimed it was not a hate crime.
”Simranjit Singh was present at the gas station along with a co-worker, who is a Pakistani national,” he adds.
”The co-worker reportedly entered into an altercation with three men who were drinking liquor in the gas station’s parking lot. One of them allegedly assaulted the Pakistani worker, following which he went inside the building to call the police, Hartejpreet Chauhan further stated while giving detail about the incident.
“Meanwhile, Simranjit Singh, who was not even aware of the incident, came out to clear the garbage. The drunk men approached him and one of them shot him several times, leading to his death.”
“He was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Hartejpreet Singh Chauhan said.
One of the suspects, Alexander Lopez, 40, has been arrested, he further added to his statement. adding that the police will hand over the body to the family in next few hours.
While the parents of the victim are expected to reach the US within a day, but Hartejpreet Singh Chauhan has sort the intervention of San Francisco based Indian Consulate so as to expedite the transportation of the body to Mohali.
“Although I have been assured a consulate official will approach us soon, I have been told the normal procedure to transport the body takes up to 10 days. We want the formalities to get over sooner,” he said.