Gangster, four cops hurt as police vehicle overturns on Ludhiana-Ferozepur Road

SP says tyre burst caused accident while gangster Amit Dagar was being taken for questioning in Baddowal firing case

Gangster Amit Dagar and four police personnel were injured when the police vehicle ferrying him to Dakha police station overturned after a tyre burst near Chowkimann on the Ludhiana–Ferozepur Road on Thursday night, police said on Friday.

The case pertains to an incident on January 10, when two bike-borne assailants opened fire at a luxury car office in Baddowal. (HT Photo)

Dagar, who fractured his leg in the mishap, was being shifted from CIA staff, Jagraon, to Dakha police station for questioning in connection with the firing incident outside a luxury car office in Baddowal early this month. He is a close aide of gangster Kaushal Chaudhary.

Chaudhary, who is also in the custody of Dakha police in the same case, had earlier fractured both his legs in a failed attempt to escape from police custody after jumping from the police station’s compound wall.

Superintendent of police (SP) Rajan Sharma said Dagar was being ferried in a Mahindra pickup vehicle along with four police personnel. “When the vehicle reached near Chowkimann, one of its tyres burst, causing it to overturn. All occupants of the vehicle, including Dagar, were injured in the accident,” he said.

Dagar was initially taken to civil hospital, Sudhar, and was later referred to the government hospital in Raikot. The injured police personnel were also taken to hospital for treatment.

Dagar was earlier lodged in Jhajjar Jail and is facing 24 criminal cases. He was brought to Ludhiana on a production warrant on January 19.

The case pertains to an incident on January 10, when two bike-borne assailants opened fire at a luxury car office in Baddowal. Later the same evening, the firm’s owner received a WhatsApp call from a foreign number in which the caller, identifying himself as gangster Pawan Shokeen, allegedly demanded ₹2 crore as extortion money. Police have registered an FIR against Kaushal Chaudhary, Pawan Shokeen, Mohabbat Randhawa and their unidentified associates in connection with the case.