Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi moved back to CIA office in Kharar

Earlier in the day, Amritsar commissionerate police got his eight-day remand for interrogation in gangster Kandowalia’s murder case

Hours after getting his eight-day remand from a local court, the Amritsar commissionerate police on Tuesday shifted gangster Lawrence Bishnoi back to Kharar’s Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) office, where he was earlier being interrogated in singer Sidhu Moose Wala’s murder case.

Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who was brought on transit remand from a Mansa court on Monday, was produced in the court of chief judicial magistrate Supinder Singh on Tuesday morning. (HT File Photo)

Bishnoi, who was brought on transit remand from a Mansa court on Monday, was produced in the court of chief judicial magistrate Supinder Singh on Tuesday morning. The police had sought his 14-day remand, citing his “crucial” role in the murder of gangster Ranbir Singh, alias Rana Kandowalia, who was gunned down at a private hospital in Amritsar last year.

Sources said the gangster was taken back to Kharar due to security reasons. They said senior Punjab Police officers, including those from the Anti-Gangster Tast Force, will continue to interrogate him in Moose Wala’s murder as some of the key accused are yet to be arrested.

However, Amritsar police commissioner Arun Pal Singh said: “We will interrogate Bishnoi only in Rana Kandowalia’s case in Kharar.” When asked about the reason for shifting him, he said he could not share the operational details.

Kandowalia, who had been facing around 15 criminal cases, died a day after he was shot at by four unidentified persons at a private hospital on August 3 last year. Later, a post from the jailed gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria’s purported Facebook account claimed the responsibility for the murder.

Kandowalia was a key accused in the 2016 Patti gang war that left Bhagwanpuria’s aide Dilbag Singh, alias Lama Patti, dead. Besides Bhagwanpuria, police had booked Jagroshan Singh, Money Daggar and six others for Kandowalia’s murder.

“Police have told court that Daggar had organised a meeting between Bishnoi and Bhagwanpuria for planning Kandowalia’s killing. According to police, Bishnoi had provided logistics support to the shooters, including weapons, vehicles and shelter, through his aides. Police want to quiz him to identify those purported aides,” said Bishnoi’s advocate Amandeep Singh, while questioning the police claim that Daggar and Bishnoi had met in an Ambala jail.

“Bishnoi never remained in any Ambala jail. Bishnoi was in Delhi’s Tihar jail for the past one year. Before that, he spent four years in a Rajasthan jail,” he said. Meanwhile, assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Palwinder Singh said the weapons used in Kandowalia’s murder are yet to be recovered.