Punjab Police arrest sixth shooter in targeted killing case
Darpan News Desk IANS, 21 Nov, 2022 11:26 AM
Chandigarh, Nov 20 (IANS) Punjab Police's Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) on Sunday arrested the sixth shooter involved in the targeted killing of shopkeeper Pardeep Singh after a brief encounter in Jaipur, officials said.
In a conspiracy hatched by the Canada-based terrorist Goldy Brar, Pardeep Singh was killed by six shooters outside his shop in Kotkapura on November 10.
Director General of Police Punjab Gaurav Yadav identified the arrested accused as Ramjan Khan, alias Raj Hooda. He said police teams have also arrested his two accomplices -- Happy Mehla (19) and Sahil Mehla (18), both resident of Hanumangarh in Rajasthan.
The police have also recovered two pistols, including a Chinese-made Star .30 caliber and .32 caliber, from their possession, he added.
The development came three days after Punjab Police had arrested three persons -- Manpreet Singh, alias Mani, Bhupinder Singh, alias Goldy, and Baljit Singh involved in the targeted killing.
DGP Yadav said acting on intelligence, teams from AGTF headed by ADGP Pramod Ban under the supervision of AIG Sandeep Goel followed the trail of the accused Khan.
After collecting vital clues, the police teams of AGTF led by DSP Bikram Brar and DSP Rajan Parminder managed to trace his location in a building at Vinayak Enclave Colony in Jaipur, where he was holed up with his two accomplices in a rented accommodation.
The DGP said in a well-coordinated operation with central agencies & Rajasthan Police, the AGTF team has managed to zero in Khan at his rented accommodation.
"When police teams tried to arrest Ramjan, he opened fire at the police party and in retaliatory firing, he got injured," said the DGP, adding the accused has been admitted to a hospital in Jaipur.
According to sources, Singh, a resident of Faridkot, was the person who had launched the attack on Monday. A rocket-propelled grenade or RPG was fired from the street that shattered the window panes of Punjab Police's intelligence headquarters in Mohali.
Lt Gen Aujla, an alumnus of the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, was commissioned in December 1987 and has had an illustrious military career spanning 35 years during which he has held varied prestigious command, staff and instructional appointments.
The area around the Intelligence Bureau office has been sealed and investigation is in progress. A bomb disposal and forensic squads have been positioned at the spot. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann spoke to Director General of Police V.K. Bhawra and sought details about the incident.
Notably, the police detained several people, including party workers, who were not allowing the SDMC to carry out the demolition drive at Shaheen Bagh. After the agitation was quelled, the bulldozer moved forward to demolish the illegal encroachment, an iron structure in front of a building. It is at this juncture that Khan reached the spot and was seen speaking to the officials.
Punjab shares a 553-km barbed-wire fenced international border with Pakistan which is under the vigil of nearly 135 BSF battalions. The drug network operates along the Afghanistan-Pakistan-India route.
