A team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) carried out searches at the houses of Gagandeep Singh, 31, the main accused in the December 23 Ludhiana court complex bomb blast case, in Khanna town on Wednesday.
Also read: 7th pay commission: 3% hike in Dearness Allowance for central govt employees
The NIA team, equipped with metal detectors, reached Gagandeep’s old house in Guru Tegh Bahadur Nagar on Lalheri Road and began searches early in the morning, while Punjab Police personnel cordoned off the area.
Gagandeep Singh, a dismissed constable, had died while allegedly planting the bomb in the court complex on December 23 last year. The house on Lalheri Road has been locked since his death. His family stays in their new house at Professor Colony in Khanna.
According to sources, the NIA has got some vital leads in the case, prompting it to conduct the searches. The team spent five hours in both the houses and questioned Gagandeep’s wife and brother in connection with the incident.
When contacted, Ludhiana commissioner of police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar confirmed that the central agency team was in Ludhiana and Khanna in connection with the investigation.
{{/usCountry}}When contacted, Ludhiana commissioner of police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar confirmed that the central agency team was in Ludhiana and Khanna in connection with the investigation.
{{/usCountry}}Jailed for two years in drug case
Gagandeep Singh, a former munshi of Khanna Sadar police station, was arrested by the Punjab Police special task force (STF) on August 11, 2019, after it recovered 400g of heroin from his car. He was booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.
After spending two years in jail, Gagandeep was released on bail on September 8, 2021. In jail, he had come in contact with hardliners Sukhwinder Singh, once a national-level boxer, who was arrested with 3-kg RDX by Banga police in 2012, and Ranjit Singh, a former policeman who was also arrested for smuggling drugs.
Woman constable interrogated
While out on bail, he was in touch with a woman constable and had spent four hours with her at a Ludhiana hotel on December 21. Investigation agencies questioned her but failed to get any further leads.
On the day of the blast, Gagandeep left his house along with his wife on a white Honda Activa scooter. He had handed over ₹1 lakh to her earlier in the day.
A probe into Gagandeep’s bank account showed that he had received over ₹3 lakh in the second week of December.
Gagandeep had parked his scooter in front of the civil hospital in Khanna and it is yet to be ascertained how he reached the district court complex.