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Moose Wala murder: Punjab module shooters spotted on CCTVs in Moga 3 weeks after crime
Closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera footage that recently emerged from Samalsar in Moga district showed the shooters Jagroop Singh Roopa and Manpreet Singh Mannu riding on a stolen bike on June 21. Samalsar is around 100 kms away from Jawaharke village in Mansa district, where Moose Wala was shot dead by six-shooters on May 29.
The two Punjab module shooters involved in the killing of singer Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu were spotted moving around in rural areas of Moga three weeks after the crime even as the state police groped in the dark for leads.
Closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera footage that recently emerged from Samalsar in Moga district showed the shooters Jagroop Singh Roopa and Manpreet Singh Mannu riding on a stolen bike on June 21. Samalsar is around 100 kms away from Jawaharke village in Mansa district, where Moose Wala was shot dead by six-shooters on May 29.
The new development comes as a major embarrassment for the state police, which has now intensified raids in surrounding areas.
Officials privy to the case said, “It seems they took shelter in neighbouring districts of Mansa as they were spotted in a CCTV footage at Samalsar on June 21. It was found that they were travelling on a stolen bike. As per the CCTV trail, they moved towards Tarn Taran district. It is suspected they may have left Punjab after arrest of other shooters,” he added.
Mansa senior superintendent of police (SSP) Gaurav Toora, who is also a member of SIT probing Moose Wala’s murder case, confirmed that police have recovered CCTV footage of the shooters.
Police have identified six shooters and claimed that two modules of shooters were involved in the killing. The shooters were said to have been in direct touch with Canada-based Goldy Brar. While Delhi police have arrested three shooters- Priyavrat Fauji, Kashish and Ankit Sirsa- of Haryana module, their counterparts in Punjab have failed to arrest any shooter so far. Deepak of Haryana module, Mannu and Roopa of Punjab module are still absconding.
As per sources, shooter Ankit Sirsa, who is presently in Punjab police custody, had also revealed to the cops that Mannu and Roopa were hiding in Punjab.
“Looking at their pattern, it seems the shooters are travelling via rural routes to evade the police. They also stayed in known areas --Mannu belongs to Moga. They are suspected to have moved to Tarn Taran. A police team spotted them on CCTV while trying to map their trail. They moved on June 21, a day after Delhi police announced that two Haryana module shooters Priyavrat and Kashish were arrested,” another official said.
As per police, Mannu who was riding in a Toyota Corolla car along with Roopa, fired at Moose Wala with AK-47. Soon after the incident, the duo fled the spot. Later, they snatched an Alto car, which was later found abandoned in Moga district. Police lost their trail in Ludhiana district and since then, this is the first movement of the two shooters that has come to fore.
A henchman of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, Manpreet Singh alias Mannu of Kussa village in Moga district, is facing 13 cases including four murder cases in various districts of Punjab. Perusal of record shows that since September last year, Mannu had carried out three murders and made two murders bids on the directions of Bishnoi and Canada-based Goldy Brar (excluding Moose Wala’s murder).
Despite Mannu being on the wanted list of Punjab police, they had no clue of his movement along with an AK-47 rifle before Moose Wala’s murder.
