Ahmedabad, Oct 8: The Ahmedabad City Crime Branch has arrested a man allegedly involved in the killing of Punjabi social media influencer and make-up artist Mad Sandhu in Amritsar on October 3, identifying him as the shooter who also arranged the motorcycle used in the attack, police said on Thursday.

The accused has been identified as Parminder Prasad alias Parminder Kaka. According to Ahmedabad Crime Branch DCP, Ajit Rajian, Parminder carried out the firing that killed Sandhu and arranged the motorcycle used by the assailants.

“His role is that of the shooter. He did the firing and also arranged the bike,” Rajian told media. The arrest followed an input from Amritsar Police and coordination between the Punjab and Gujarat police teams.

The accused was traced to Ahmedabad, where the Crime Branch took him into custody as part of the investigation into the murder.

“A case has been registered as FIR No. 186/2026 under Section 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Cantonment Police Station in Amritsar. Further legal proceedings are underway,” he confirmed.

Sandhu, whose real name was Madhusudan Sandhu, was shot on October 3 by two motorcycle-borne assailants near a car wash centre on Loharka Road in Amritsar.

Police had said the attackers opened fire before fleeing from the spot. Sandhu was taken to a private hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.

The killing had initially led police to examine several possible angles. Investigators collected CCTV footage from the area and examined Sandhu’s movements and digital records to identify the attackers.

Amritsar Police had reportedly detained two persons while probing a possible contract-killing angle.

Sandhu, 29, had a substantial following on social media and was known for his work as a make-up artist and for speaking about make-up artistry and gender-related issues on podcasts and digital platforms.

He had more than two lakh followers on Instagram and had also appeared in the Punjabi film ‘Oye Bhole Oye’.

The case also drew attention after social-media posts allegedly linked to foreign-based gangsters claimed responsibility for the killing.

However, Punjab Police had earlier said the authenticity of such posts had not been established. Investigators have also been examining possible links to the network of gangster Goldy Dhillon.

The latest arrest is expected to help investigators establish the sequence of events leading to the killing, identify other persons involved and determine the circumstances surrounding the alleged contract killing.

Surat, Oct 8: The Surat City’s Special Operations Group (SOG), along with the Food and Drugs Department, in Gujarat, raided two medical stores in the Salabatpura-Mandarwaja area for allegedly selling medicines used for intoxication without doctors’ prescriptions and seized 18,316 tablets and three bottles of codeine syrup valued at Rs 2.75 lakh.

The action was carried out on Wednesday at Smit Sai and Daruwala Shivshakti medical stores located at Halpati Colony on the 80-foot road from Kinnari towards Bhathena.

According to the SOG, the action followed instructions from Surat Police Commissioner Wabang Jamir to identify medical stores allegedly selling intoxicating syrups and tablets without prescriptions, and in violation of regulations.

The police said such medicines could be misused for intoxication, including by young people.

SOG Deputy Commissioner of Police Rajdeepsinh Nakum supervised the operation, while SOG Police Inspector A.S. Sonara formed separate teams to keep watch on medical stores suspected of selling medicines used for intoxication.

The SOG said it received information that intoxicating medicines were being sold without doctors’ prescriptions at two medical stores in the Salabatpura-Mandarwaja area.

Following the information, SOG personnel conducted the raids along with Food and Drugs Inspectors G.U. Upadhyay, Jeelben Gameti and Pinalben Vavaiya.

During inspections, the Food and Drugs Department found stocks of medicines that were allegedly being kept in violation of regulations and could be used for intoxication.

The seized stock comprised 1,440 Pyeevon Sas Plus tablets, 144 Spas Tracenp tablets, 6,920 Spasmo Proxyvon tablets, 750 Apcolam tablets, 3,840 Calic tablets, 5,200 Prehabalin tablets and 20 Pregout Kit tablets. In addition, three bottles of codeine syrup were recovered.

“The total number of tablets seized was 18,316, while the combined value of the seized medicines and syrup was estimated at Rs 2,75,068,” the SOG said.

The Food and Drugs Department has begun further investigation into the stock recovered from both medical stores.

The police said that if the medicines are found to have been kept or sold illegally, legal action will be taken against the licence holders and operators of the two medical stores.

The SOG said the operation was undertaken as part of efforts to identify medical stores involved in the unauthorised sale of medicines that are liable to be misused for intoxication.

Navi Mumbai, Oct 8: Sanjay Kantu Yadav, a 38-year-old man, died in police custody in Navi Mumbai. Yadav was arrested by the Navi Mumbai International Airport Police in connection with a case. He lived in Ananta Tower in Ulwe Sector 6 and was originally from Varanasi district in Uttar Pradesh. Following his arrest, a court remanded him in police custody.

According to police, Yadav was lodged in the lock-up at the NRI Sagari Police Station in Navi Mumbai on October 8. At the time, the lock-up staff noticed him clenching his fists and flexing his arms and legs. When his condition deteriorated, police officers immediately rushed him to Meenatai Thackeray Hospital in Nerul, where he was declared dead during treatment.

Police said Yadav had undergone a medical examination at Panvel Rural Hospital before his arrest. He did not report any health problems when he was produced before the court. Even during a medical examination conducted on October 6, he did not report any illness or health-related complaints.

Senior police officials have been informed about the incident. A inquest report is being conducted through videography in the presence of the Belapur First Class Judicial Magistrate, panch witnesses and the deceased man’s family members.

The body is being sent to J.J. Hospital in Mumbai for a post-mortem examination. Police said further legal proceedings are underway.

However, this is not the first such incident in Maharashtra.

Earlier, on September 22, the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of the Maharashtra Police was investigating the death of a 35-year-old man who died while in the custody of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in Mumbai.

The deceased, Imran Shaikh, had come to the city from Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh in search of employment.

According to Central Railway officials, Shaikh had made enquiries about trains bound for Khandwa at the main RPF post at CSMT on September 20.

Officials said he appeared agitated and claimed that people were trying to kill him. They said Shaikh subsequently became aggressive and attacked RPF Sub-Inspector Aniket. He also inflicted injuries on himself, according to officials.