A youth was allegedly abducted and brutally assaulted by a group of men, including a police official, in Moga on Thursday night. The victim, identified as Gurpreet Singh, a carpenter, sustained severe injuries and was shifted to AIIMS Bathinda from Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital in Faridkot. His condition is stated to be critical.According to the victim’s brother, Simarjit Singh, the assailants forcibly bundled Gurpreet into a vehicle in Moga and took him to an undisclosed location. He was allegedly beaten with sticks and sharp-edged weapons before being dumped on the roadside.The family has directly accused a Punjab Police personnel and his accomplices of orchestrating the assault over a personal grudge. CCTV footage from the area reportedly shows the youth being brutally beaten. Following the assault, he was rushed to the Civil Hospital in Moga and subsequently referred to Faridkot. He was later shifted to AIIMS Bathinda owing to the severity of his injuries.Police sources said the attack was linked to Gurpreet’s online friendship with a girl who is a close relative of a police official posted in Sangrur. The official, accompanied by a group of youths, allegedly reached Moga and assaulted him.Mehna SHO Paraminder Singh, under whose jurisdiction the incident occurred, said the police had taken cognisance of the matter and launched an investigation. Statements were being recorded, and appropriate legal action, including the registration of an FIR, would be taken against all those involved, “regardless of their position”, he said.