Punjab Newsline | Karnal
A 40-year-old woman clerk working with the electricity department was shot dead in broad daylight outside her residence in Karnal’s upscale Sector-9 area on Friday afternoon. The victim, identified as Dimple Arora, was also the president of the employees’ union and was known to be actively involved in staff-related matters.
According to police, the shocking incident took place around 1:15 PM when Dimple returned home from her office for lunch. She had just parked and was locking her scooter outside her house when a helmet-wearing youth approached her on a motorcycle.
Investigators said the accused had concealed a pistol under a cloth. As soon as he reached close to Dimple, he allegedly fired a point-blank shot at her head. She collapsed on the spot while the attacker fled immediately on his bike.
Locals initially believed the woman had fainted, but panic spread after blood was seen flowing from her head. She was rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared her dead.
The entire incident was captured on nearby CCTV cameras. Police said the footage revealed that the accused had been roaming around the area for nearly an hour before carrying out the attack. Investigators found that the suspect had started conducting reconnaissance in the locality around 12:15 PM and kept monitoring Dimple’s movements.
A 55-second CCTV clip reportedly shows Dimple arriving home on her scooter at around 1:11 PM. The attacker can be seen waiting at a distance on his motorcycle. As soon as she began locking the scooter, he rushed towards her from behind and fired at extremely close range before escaping.
The murder triggered outrage among electricity department employees and union members. A large number of staff members gathered at the hospital and the crime scene after hearing about the incident.
Senior police officials, including Superintendent of Police Narendra Bijarnia, reached the spot soon after the murder. The forensic science team also collected evidence from the scene.
Police have not yet established the motive behind the killing. Investigators are probing all possible angles, including personal enmity, professional rivalry, and union-related disputes. CCTV footage from nearby areas is being examined to identify and trace the accused. Authorities said efforts are underway to arrest the suspect at the earliest.
