With the arrest of two persons, Ashok Kumar Vohra alias Amna Seth and Lovepreet Singh alias Lovely, Punjab Police claimed have solved the long pending cases of murder of two religious leaders, Paras Mani and Baba Lakha Singh, and a Dera Sacha Sauda follower, Gurdev Singh.
The duo was nabbed by the Counter-Intelligence team of Punjab Police after a hot chase at a police check-point near Sodhi Nagar on Wednesday. A .32 bore revolver and a motorcycle, besides some “radical literature and writings”, have been recovered from their possession.
Subsequent inquiries revealed that the duo was involved in three murders that took place between 2014 and 2016.
While 29-year-old Paras Mani, head of Dera Baba Farid at Khukhrana village in Moga, was gunned down in June 2014, Baba Lakha Singh aka Lakhwinder Singh, a controversial religious preacher, was killed by the suspects in Hanumangarh district, Rajasthan, on November 23, 2016.
They were also involved in the killing of Gurdev Singh (31), a Dera Sacha Sauda follower, at Burj Jawahar Singh Wala village, Faridkot, on Jun 13, 2016.
The spokesman said Ashok Kumar Vohra came on the police's radar for the first time after Paras Mani's killing. Paras Mani was shot dead by two persons on the dera premises situated on the Moga-Ferozepur highway at around 6 pm.
Investigations had revealed that one Gurpreet Singh alias Gopi was also involved in the sensational shootout along with Ashok Kumar.
While Gopi was arrested in a police operation in Kohala village, Ferozepur, last month, Ashok Kumar Vohra had managed to give the police slip by escaping under the cover of darkness.
A massive manhunt had been underway since then to apprehend Ashok. His photograph and his personal details had been publicised by the police through the media and on social media platforms.
The spokesperson said both Ashok Kumar Vohra and Lovepreet Singh were trying to flee Punjab when they were apprehended. Further investigations are in progress.
