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Ludhiana: Relative behind firing at bizman’s house; 5 held
According to Khanna SSP Darpan Ahluwalia, more arrests are likely as investigation progresses; all of the arrested persons have past criminal record
Investigating the matter of firing at the house of Ashu Vijan, a dress designer and a garment shop owner, the police claimed that a distant relative of the victim was the mastermind behind the extortion bid, who further involved dreaded gangster Goldy Brar through his aides. Goldy Brar recorded a voice message demanding extortion money, which was sent by his aide Vicky Tehla to their target using a foreign number, officials said.
The police have arrested five accused, including Amit Kumar alias Laddi, 40, (distant relative of Ashu), a resident of Gulmohar Nagar of Khanna. The other accused are Ishwar Singh Randhawa, 29, of Randhawa Street, Khanna, Vivek Watts alias Vivo, 31, of Dhakoli, SAS Nagar, Harpreet Singh alias Pitta, 29, of Umarpura of Raikot, and Parmveer Singh alias Pamma, 29, of Bhamipur village, Ludhiana (rural).
The shooters involved in the firing and arson are yet to be arrested. Khanna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Darpan Ahluwalia said, “Amit Kumar alias Laddi is the brainchild behind the conspiracy. He was very close to Ashu Vijan and helped him a number of times in resolving his disputes. Amit Kumar was aware about his income and properties and hatched a conspiracy to extort money from him.”
The SSP said that Amit Kumar involved Ishwar Singh Randhawa. They contacted Vivek Watts, a bodybuilder who owns a gym, who further involved Vicky Tehla, a notorious offender. Vicky Tehla is suspected to have fled abroad. Tehla had contacted Goldy Brar, the SSP said.
“Goldy Brar recorded a voice message demanding ₹5 crore extortion money, which was sent to Ashu Vijan using a foreign number. After Ashu Vijan made a complaint, the Khanna City-2 police provided him security. Amit remained active and kept on passing his information to Goldy Brar through Vivek and Vicky Tehla,” said the SSP.
“To threaten Vijan, the accused roped in four shooters, who opened fire on his house in the wee hours of January 19 and set his car, which was parked in the street, on fire,” the SSP added.
The conspiracy was hatched at the residences of Harpreet Singh alias Pitta and Parmveer Singh alias Pamma. The accused, who were involved in opening fire, have been identified and will be arrested very soon.
The accused have past criminal records. More arrests have been expected in the case, the police added.
