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In Chandigarh to avenge aide’s killing in encounter, Lawrence Bishnoi gang shooter arrested
Pistol with the name of the slain sharpshooter’s name engraved on it recovered from Rohtak native.
Hot on the trail of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s accomplices active in Chandigarh, police on Friday arrested a shooter of the gang who was in the city to avenge the police encounter of their sharpshooter.
Parveen Kumar, alias Bhima, 31, hailing from Ghilodh Kalan village in Rohtak, Haryana, was nabbed following a tip-off from near the garbage centre in Sector 45.
A country made weapon bearing the name of the gang’s sharpshooter, Ankit Bhadu, who was killed in an encounter with the Punjab Police at Zirakpur in February 2019, was recovered from him.
“Parveen was in Chandigarh as part of the gang’s plan to avenge the killing of Bhadu. He had also planned another murder in his village owing to an old rivalry,” said Kuldeep Singh Chahal, senior superintendent of police (SSP), Chandigarh.
“The gang members have engraved Bhadu’s name on multiple weapons. One of these was recovered from Parveen,” the SSP added.
Besides the pistol, five live cartridges and a stolen motorcycle with a fake registration plate were also found in his possession.
“An active member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, Parveen had come to Chandigarh to meet Monty Shah, a close associate of Bishnoi. He is also involved in extorting money on behalf of the gangster and mobilising the gang members,” one of the investigators said.
A case under Sections 384 (extortion), 386 (extortion by putting a person in fear of death or grievous hurt) and 120-B (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code and Arms Act has been registered against Parveen and other members of the gang, including Monty Shah, Pankaj Jhakhar, Bhola and some unidentified men.
LIFER WAS OUT ON BAIL
Police said Parveen was facing seven heinous crimes in Haryana and two in Punjab. He had been sentenced to life imprisonment in a Dera Bassi murder case and was currently out on bail. Police hope to nab more gang members with his arrest.
BISHNOI CALLING THE SHOTS FROM JAIL
Presently lodged in a Rajasthan jail, Bishnoi’s name has cropped up in a number of cases of extortion and even recent shootings in Chandigarh.
Police said Bishnoi and his associates, Deepu Banur and Sampat Nehra, despite being in jail, regularly passed on instructions to their gang members to target businessmen, hotel and restaurant owners and liquor contractors of the tricity for extortion.
“Bishnoi calls his targets over WhatsApp and demands money as per their financial status,” the SSP said, adding that his gang members Monty Shah and Pankaj Jhakhar were involved in collecting protection money from Chandigarh and surrounding areas.
FROM COUNTRY MADE PISTOLS TO AUTOMATIC GUNS, THE GANG HAS IT ALL
Investigators said Bishnoi’s gang members possessed country made, semi-automatic and automatic arms and ammunition. They used these weapons to snatch vehicles, which were used for extortion and other crimes after affixing fake registration number plates.
