Police in Mansa district of Punjab in India  have arrested Neelam Rani, wife of main suspect Ashwani Kumar, in connection with the fatal shooting of anti-drug activist Parwinder Singh Jhota.

Mansa Senior Superintendent of Police Vaibhav Chaudhary confirmed late Thursday that three suspects are now in custody: medical store owner Ashwani Kumar, his associate Vipan Garg, and his wife, Neelam Rani. Police are still searching for a fourth suspect, identified as Laddi, a resident of Khara Barnala. 

Chief Judicial Magistrate Rajinder Prashad remanded Kumar and Garg into police custody until Oct. 22 following a court appearance via video conference.

Kumar, who fled the scene after the shooting, was apprehended earlier in Salasar, Rajasthan. The investigation was launched following a formal complaint filed by Jhota’s father, Bhim Singh. 

In a related administrative action, police authorities suspended Beant Kaur, station house officer of the City-2 police station. Kaur was placed on "line-house" duty and transferred out of the district following allegations by Jhota’s father that local police had consistently failed to act on multiple complaints regarding local drug peddling.

Meanwhile, many organisations called for Punjab shut down which remained successful. The shops remained shut in the state and protestors demanded strict action against the drug peddlers and also demanded dismissal of the woman Station House Officer (SHO) Beant Kaur.