Karnal, June 12 -- A day after three friends were allegedly run over and killed by a Scorpio SUV in Panipat district, their families on Thursday claimed that the incident was a targeted murder linked to an illegal mining dispute, which had initially been perceived as a road accident.

The victims, Narendra Gahlayan (46), Vinod (48), and Anip (36), were all residents of Dikadla village in Samalkha subdivision of the district.

Police said that the incident occurred around 9 pm on Wednesday on the Dikadla Aata Road in Samalkha, when the three friends were returning back from the fields and were hit by the SUV.

On Thursday, as locals gathered at the crime spot in the presence of forensic teams, the families claimed that the suspects deliber...