GMC Patiala MBBS student murder: Childhood friend arrested, Rs 20 lakh dispute suspected motive

Patiala: After the blood-soaked body of a second-year MBBS student of Government Medical College (GMC) Patiala was found with stab wounds inside his paying guest accommodation, the police have arrested the main accused in the case, who is reportedly a childhood friend of the deceased.

According to police, the accused had been absconding since Monday morning and was taken into custody on Wednesday. He will soon be produced before a court.

Explaining the alleged motive behind the crime, a police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, told HT that the murder was triggered by a financial dispute between them. Both the accused and the victim belonged to Bareta town in Mansa district.

Medical Dialogues had reported that the student was allegedly stabbed to death inside his paying guest accommodation in the New Lal Bagh area. The police found the student’s body lying in a pool of blood after he was allegedly stabbed three to four times in the neck, resulting in his death on the spot.

Also read- Patiala horror: MBBS student stabbed to death, blood-soaked body found in PG accommodation

According to the police, the financial dispute started after the accused allegedly borrowed around Rs 20 lakh from the deceased and was under pressure to return the money. "However, his statements are yet to be verified," the police officer told HT.

After reportedly killing the student, the accused allegedly sustained multiple injuries on his arms during the incident and later sought treatment at Government Rajindra Hospital in Patiala and another hospital in Samana. When his parents questioned him about the injuries, he reportedly claimed that they were caused in an accident.

Police identified him as a suspect after finding that he was the last person seen with the victim before the murder. Preliminary investigation revealed that he stayed with the victim on Sunday night and left the accommodation the following morning at around 7:15 am, carrying a bag.

According to officials involved in the investigation, the accused transferred nearly Rs 25,000 from the deceased’s phone into his account after the murder.

"Preliminary investigations suggest that the accused had purchased the knife used in the crime a day before the incident. The alleged murder weapon has also been recovered," the officer said.

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