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Gangster held after shootout in Batala
The arrested man has been identified as Lovejeet Singh, alias Kaka alias Kawaljit, a resident of Vairowal Bawia in Batala. Along with the weapon, police teams have also impounded the motorcycle he was riding.
Batala police have arrested a key associate of gangster Nishan Joriyan in connection with a firing incident linked to an extortion attempt, and recovered a 9mm Glock pistol from his possession, Punjab director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said on Thursday.
The arrested man has been identified as Lovejeet Singh, alias Kaka alias Kawaljit, a resident of Vairowal Bawia in Batala. Along with the weapon, police teams have also impounded the motorcycle he was riding.
Yadav said that on November 21, Lovejeet and an accomplice allegedly opened fire at a mobile shop in Batala after issuing a ₹2-crore extortion demand in the name of gangster Nishan Joriyan. “Further investigation is in progress to establish forward and backward linkages and to trace the handlers behind the extortion conspiracy,” he added.
Deputy inspector general (DIG) of police, Border Range, Sandeep Goel, said special teams were formed under the supervision of SP (Investigation) Gurpartap Singh Sahota to probe the case. Based on human and technical intelligence, police intercepted Lovejeet while he was travelling from village Kudawali on his motorcycle, he said.
According to the DIG, when police attempted to apprehend him, the accused opened fire on the team. “In retaliatory firing, the accused sustained a bullet injury on his left leg,” he said.
Providing further details, SSP Batala Mehtab Singh said Lovejeet is currently undergoing treatment at Civil Hospital, Batala. Police are conducting a manhunt to arrest the remaining accused involved in the firing incident, he added.
In connection with the case, three separate FIRs under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Arms Act have been registered at Police Station City Batala and Police Station Dera Baba Nanak.
