Renowned international kabaddi player Sandeep Nangal was shot dead during an ongoing tournament match at Jalandhar's Mallian Khurd on Monday evening, March 14.
The incident occurred around 6:30 pm when Sandeep came along with his team to participate in a match, which was supposed to start in the evening.
Reportedly, when the 28-year-old came out of the tournament site, four unidentified assailants opened fire on him, resulting in his on-spot death. Police suspect eight to 10 bullets were pumped into the Kabaddi player as 10 empty bullet shells were recovered from the spot.
A teenage boy was also injured, whose condition is said to be stable.
Investigation Underway
Soon after the incident, SSP (Rural) Jalandhar Satinder Singh reached the spot. As per the police, personal rivalry or professional jealousy could be the reason behind the murder, The Indian Express reported.
A video of the incident also went viral on social media. People could be seen running out of the ground when the bullet shots were fired. Sandeep was head of the Major Kabaddi League Federation and represented the United Kingdom team as captain in various Kabaddi World Cup tournaments.
He is survived by his parents, wife and two sons. He lived in the UK and would come to India every winter to participate in kabaddi tournaments.
As per The Indian Express sources, the Kabaddi sector said that there is a lot of money in the sport, with many gangsters also involved in it, who dictate players for which team they should play.
"A murder case against unidentified persons has been registered. People in the area are in a state of shock and panic after the incident," said Station House Officer (SHO) Inspector Parminder Singh of Nakodar Sadar police station.
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