Four days after arresting his henchman, police’s crime branch brought gangster Bhuppi Rana, alias Bhupinder Singh Rana, on a production warrant from Punjab.
A resident of Handesra village in Mohali, Rana has been running an extortion racket in areas like Ambala, Yamunanagar, Panchkula, Kurukshetra, Mohali and Ropar, which are considered to be his strongholds.
The team of Sector 19 crime branch on Saturday brought Rana on production warrants from Nabha jail in Punjab. He was formally arrested and remanded to a four-day police custody by court on Saturday.
On September 12, police had arrested Vikrant alias Chintu, 22, resident of Barwala village in Panchkula — a henchman of Bhuppi Rana gang with seven illegal pistols and ₹72,000.
Chintu was arrested on September 12, while the team of crime branch was patrolling near Jaloli Panchkula village, and they spotted a man carrying a bag near the Barwala by-pass cut. Upon checking, police recovered seven illegal pistols and ₹72,000 from him.
Probe officials said the accused was out to supply weapons in Dera Bassi, Kharar, Yamunanagar, on the instructions of Bhuppi Rana.
Bhuppi operating gang from jail using mobile: Police
{{/usCountry}}Bhuppi operating gang from jail using mobile: Police
{{/usCountry}}Chintu during interrogation told police that Bhuppi Rana contacts his gang operatives through WhatsApp calls and directs as to where and to whom the weapons are to be supplied.
“Bhuppi Rana’s name cropped up in Chnitu’s interrogation so we have brought him on production warrants. We are interrogating him as to from where the weapons were sourced and to whom they were to be supplied,” said Nikita Khattar, DCP (law and order), Panchkula.
Bhuppi Rana worked for the slain gangster Devinder Bambiha gang, and has been involved in providing manpower, weapons and other logistic help to criminals. The Bambiha gang executes crime at the behest of Gaurav alias Lucky Patial, who was believed to be operating out of Armenia.
From college fights to running a gang
A student rivalry during his college days was Bhuppi Rana’s entry into a life of crime. A graduate from a private college in Ambala, he joined Bambiha gang after his arch rival Monu Rana of the Monu Rana group joined Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang.
Bhuppi Rana is now wanted in more than two dozen cases including murder, extortion and those registered under the Arms Act. He was arrested in Panchkula in July 2018 in connection to murder of Bhupesh Rana, a member of the Monu Rana gang, who was shot dead near Barwala in Panchkula in April 2018. Recently, his name had cropped in connection to the firing outside a club in Sector 5, Panchkula, on June 15.
Police had arrested five members of Bambiha gang in connection to the firing.