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Firing outside Chandigarh bizman’s house: Bishnoi key aide’s grilling points to extortion racket
Officials privy to the investigation said the shooting was orchestrated to instil fear among businessmen in the city, with focus on liquor traders, as part of the extortion racket being run by Bishnoi from behind the bars
Brought on production warrants from the Ambala jail for his involvement in the May 31 firing outside a businessman’s house in Sector 33, Chandigarh, Deepu Banur, key aide of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, was sent to five-day police custody on Tuesday.
With initial investigations, according to the sources, revealing an extortion angle, Chandigarh Police will also grill him to find any links with shooting outside a liquor vend in Sector 9 on June 2.
Officials privy to the investigation said the probe so far points to the two shootings being the handiwork of the same gang, orchestrated to instil fear among businessmen in the city, with focus on liquor traders, as part of the extortion racket being run by Bishnoi from behind the bars in Bharatpur jail, Rajasthan.
Five men had opened fire outside the Sector 33 bungalow of hotelier and businessman Rakesh Singla on May 31, in what police said was a targeted attack on his younger brother, liquor baron Arvind Singla, and ordered by Bishnoi via Deepu. Three of the accused, including one of the shooters, have been arrested. Later, on June 2, two men opened fire outside a liquor shop owned by Ram Avtar Batra in the posh Sector 9 locality, leaving four people injured.While Singla has denied having received any extortion call, Batra had hinted at a financial dispute.
“We have secured Deepu’s custody and investigations are on. He will be questioned with regards to his and other accused’s involvement,” said Nilambari Vijay Jagdale, senior superintendent of police (SSP) Chandigarh.
Hailing from a poor family, Deepu came in contact with Bishnoi through gangster Sampat Nehra during his stay in the Patiala jail. Later in 2017, Deepu had helped in the escape of another gang member from the Haryana Police custody after a shootout at the Panchkula civil hospital. At present, he was lodged at the Ambala jail for the contract killing of Banur councillor Preeti Walia’s husband in September 6, 2017.
