22nd *murder in 91 days rocks ‘peaceful’ Himachal, man found dead in apple orchard in Shimla’s Theog

In a shocking incident in the usually peaceful state of Himachal Pradesh, yet another murder has occurred, making it the 22nd such incident in the past 91 days.

The latest murder took place in the Theog area of Shimla district in Himachal Pradesh where the accused is currently on the run. The police have registered a case and are searching for the suspect.

Nepalese national key suspect in case

According to reports, the incident came to light following a complaint filed by Gyan Singh Verma, a resident of Juggo village in Theog.

In his written statement, 47-year-old Gyan Singh revealed that around 15 days ago, he had hired a Nepalese man named Paras Ram to work in his apple orchard. Paras Ram had been residing in a shed atop Gyan Singh’s residential house.

On the morning of March 31, Paras Ram reportedly left for Theog market at around 10 am. Gyan Singh further mentioned that his neighbour, Roshan Lal, lived nearby and a Nepalese man named Sushil also resided there.

Around 9 am, Gyan Singh saw Sushil heading towards the orchard, but soon after, he found him lying motionless, with his face down and appeared to be unconscious.

Upon further inspection, Gyan Singh discovered blood scattered across the ground near a nearby tent. He called out to Paras Ram, but he was nowhere to be found.

As Gyan Singh moved closer, he found Sushil’s lifeless body and suspected that Paras Ram, in an intoxicated state, had murdered Sushil with a sharp weapon before fleeing the scene.

FIR registered in Theog police station

Theog DSP Siddharth Sharma confirmed that an FIR had been registered under section 103 and the body had been sent for a post-mortem examination.

He said the cause of death would be conclusively determined once the post-mortem report was received. Meanwhile, the police are continuing their search for the suspect, Paras Ram.

The incident adds to the rising concern over the increasing number of murders in the state, with this being the 22nd reported case in just over three months.

Sunil Chadha