Broken mobile phone, ammunition & pharma opioids seized from Moosewala killers: Official

Chandigarh, July 21 (IANS) A day after gunning down of two sharpshooters in a nearly five-hour long gunfight, who were allegedly involved in the sensational killing of famed Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, a senior Punjab Police official on Thursday said a broken mobile phone and a bag containing ammunition, clothes and some pharma opioids were seized from the spot.

He said that no document was recovered from the scene to establish their identity. Also there was no proof so far that the sharpshooters were planning to cross over to Pakistan. The shooters were hired by jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, the main conspirator who confessed that the execution planning of Moosewala was hatched in August last year to avenge the murder of Vicky Middukhera.

Sharpshooters Manpreet Manu and Jagdeep Rupa, believed to be members of the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gang, which had allegedly provided sharpshooters to Bishnoi for the Moosewala killing, were shot dead in an encounter with Punjab Police near the India-Pakistan border in Amritsar district on Wednesday.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Detective) Mukhwinder Singh Bhullar told the media close to the encounter site that both gangsters were dropped by a vehicle at the crime scene on Wednesday.

"Our teams are investigating who was behind dropping them (at a farmhouse)," he said.

He said a broken mobile phone was recovered from the encounter site and it was handed over to a forensic team that reached the spot early Thursday.

"This is the same forensic team that is investigating the killing of Moosewala," Bhullar said.

He said a bag containing ammunition, some clothes and intoxicant tablets (pharma opioids) were recovered.

"An AK 47 loaded with 31 cartridges and two pistols were recovered. The police have given enough opportunity to the gangsters to surrender. When they opened fire at the police, both were killed in exchange of firing," he said.

Asked whether the AK-47 recovered from the spot was the same that was used in Moosewala's killing, he said that was part of the investigation.

On the recovery of documents to reveal their identity, he denied any recovery. Also, he said so far there was no evidence to corroborate the fact that they were planning to enter Pakistan by crossing the international border.

Meanwhile, the bodies of the slain gangsters were sent to Guru Nanak Dev Hospital in Amritsar for a post-mortem examination.

After the encounter, Promod Ban, ADGP, Anti Gangster Task Force (AGTF) told the media in Amritsar that Manpreet Manu and Jagdeep Rupa, wanted in the Moosewala murder case, were killed in an encounter.

According to the police, the gangsters had taken shelter in an abandoned house near Bhakna village, about 14 km from the border, when the police killed them.

Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav also reached the encounter spot. Three policemen suffered bullet injuries in the encounter.