SP (City) Palwinder Singh Cheema, Patiala SSP Varun Sharma, and Station House Officer Vaibhav Chaudhary address the media on Thursday afternoon. (Express Photo)A movie, an IPL match, and dinner: Kamaldeep Mittal and Mohit Verma spent Sunday night as childhood friends often do. But hours later, Kamaldeep, a fourth-year MBBS student, was found dead, stabbed nearly 30 times, and Mohit had fled. On Thursday, the Patiala police announced Mohit’s arrest, alleging that he was responsible for the gruesome murder.The police said Kamaldeep, a student of Government Medical College, Patiala, was murdered by Verma, a college dropout and jewellery craftsman, over a money dispute linked to stock market investments.The incident occurred at Kamaldeep’s rented accommodation in New Lal Bagh Colony, around 900 metres from the medical college. Kamaldeep Mittal is survived by his parents, an elder sister who is a doctor, and an elder brother who is a businessman.“They watched a movie together, later an IPL match, and had dinner together on Sunday. On Monday morning, when Kamaldeep was about to go to the washroom, Mohit attacked him from behind. The knife pierced his neck from one side to another, cutting his vocal cords, due to which, perhaps, he couldn’t even cry for help,” Varun Sharma, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Patiala, said.“He kept on attacking Kamaldeep repeatedly…on his neck, chest, thighs, and knees at least 30 times,” SSP Sharma added. Sources said the knife broke during the assault, following which the accused allegedly attacked the victim with the wooden handle as well. The knife used in the crime has also been recovered, said SSP.Also Read | Patiala MBBS student found murdered inside PG room: FIR names childhood friend who stayed overnightAfter the murder, Verma allegedly transferred Rs 2.5 lakh from Kamaldeep’s account, police sources revealed.Sources alleged that after murdering Kamaldeep, Verma went to the medical college to get a dressing done on his injuries from Kamaldeep’s friends, who also knew him. Later, he got a dressing done from a private clinic in Samana.Story continues below this adSolved in two daysSSP Sharma said the case was cracked within two days by a team comprising Superintendent of Police (City) Palwinder Singh Cheema, Deputy Superintendent of Police Gurbans Singh Bains, Station House Officer Vaibhav Chaudhary, and other officials.“Both Kamaldeep and Mohit were childhood friends staying in the same colony in Bareta town of Mansa district. They studied in the same school in Bareta till Class 12. Afterwards, Kamaldeep got admission in MBBS due to his hard work. But both were in touch with each other and had been investing in the stock market together for quite some time. Kamaldeep had been demanding around Rs 4 lakh from Verma, related to his money invested in the stock market, but Verma was not returning it,” he added.According to the police, Verma, a BCom dropout from Punjabi University, Patiala, later joined his father’s jewellery business. The police said the two friends had remained in touch, and Verma used to regularly visit Patiala to meet Kamaldeep.“Our team cracked the case within two days. We will produce Mohit Verma in court to get the strictest possible punishment for this brutal murder,” SSP Sharma said.Story continues below this adKamaldeep’s father, Mohinderpal Mittal, a retired government school teacher, has demanded the death penalty for the accused. Kamaldeep is survived by his parents, an elder sister who is a doctor, and an elder brother who is a businessman. . His family alleged that Verma used to consume drugs.