E-Paper
Mohali: Bhagwanpuria, Bhuppi Rana acquitted in illegal arms case
The case was registered at Balongi police station on October 18, 2023, after police received information that Saurav, Ranjit and Shivraj were allegedly involved in supplying illegal weapons
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The additional district and sessions judge’s court has acquitted A-category gangster Jagdeep Singh alias Jaggu Bhagwanpuria and Bhupinder Singh alias Bhuppi Rana in a Balongi illegal arms supply case. Saurav Kumar alias Ajay, Shivraj Soni and Kushar Ashish Ram Sarup were convicted and sentenced to three years’ imprisonment and fined ₹10,000 each.
According to court records, accused Ranjit Singh alias Kaka died during the trial, following which proceedings against him were closed.
The case was registered at Balongi police station on October 18, 2023, after police received information that Saurav, Ranjit and Shivraj were allegedly involved in supplying illegal weapons. Police alleged that the accused brought weapons and ammunition from Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, and supplied them to gangsters and their associates in different districts of Punjab.
Acting on the information, police set up a naka near a bridge over a drain on the road connecting Balongi with Mohali Industrial Area. The accused were allegedly found there with illegal weapons and ammunition. They could not produce valid licences for the weapons, according to the FIR.
Jaggu and Bhuppi were not named in the original FIR. During the investigation, police questioned Shivraj and subsequently named the duo as accused in December 2023 based on his statement.
Police records mentioned 51 criminal cases against Bhuppi in different police stations across Punjab. Investigators had also alleged that he was linked to a gang involved in supplying illegal weapons.
During the trial, the defence argued that no weapon had been recovered from either Jaggu or Bhuppi and that the case against them rested mainly on the statement of a co-accused. After examining the evidence, the court found that their direct involvement in the weapons supply had not been proved and acquitted them.
