Chandigarh, March 31: The father of Neha Shoree, a drug inspector in Punjab who was shot dead by a chemist on Friday, said the state's drug mafia was behind the murder of his daughter. 36-year-old Neha Shoree, the daughter of 1971-war veteran Captain Kailash Kumar Shoree (retd), was killed by 50-year-old Balwinder Singh whose licence she had cancelled back in 2009. After killing Neha in cold blood, Balwinder committed suicide by shooting himself when he was cornered by a mob.

"Neha was not comfortable in her job. Sometimes I felt that she was hiding something from us. And whenever I tried to enquire, she avoided my queries. She is a martyr who sacrificed her life in the battle against the drug mafia. Why was my daughter shot dead? It proves she was performing her duty with utmost honesty and did not succumb to any pressure," Captain Shoree, who served in the Indian Army until 1980, told The Indian Express.

"I participated in the Indo-Pakistan War in 1971 for my country. And today, the drug mafia of this country snatched my daughter from me," the grieving father added. Nishant Shoree, Neha’s elder brother, also said the drug mafia in Punjab was behind the murder of his sister and questioned how Balwinder could obtain an arms licence when the Model Code Conduct is imposed. Drug Regulator Slaps Notice to Johnson and Johnson for Violating Legal Provisions in Product Ad.

"The drug mafia active in Punjab is behind the murder of my sister who was an honest officer and never gave in to pressure while discharging her official duties. Balwinder Singh’s drugs licence was cancelled because he was selling unauthorised drugs at his chemist shop. This means he was linked with the drug mafia," Nishant was quoted as saying.

"The circumstances in which my sister was murdered suggest a deep-rooted conspiracy, beginning with the way in which Balwinder managed to procure an arms licence and purchased a revolver — all this when the Model Code of Conduct was in place," he added, demanding a high-level independent probe into the murder of his sister.

In 2009, Neha cancelled Balwinder's licence after 35 types of tablets used by drug addicts were recovered from his chemist shop during a raid. According to the police, Balwinder killed Neha in revenge. It is not yet known if he acted at somebody’s behest, the police said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 31, 2019 12:20 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).