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Police let off 7 juveniles involved in RPG attack on Tarn Taran police post
Some of them were accused of transporting the military-grade hardware while others had provided logistical support to the prime suspects, say Tarn Taran police
Adopting a humanitarian approach, Tarn Taran police on Wednesday let off seven juveniles involved in the rocket propelled grenade (RPG) attack at Sarhali police post on December 9. The move is aimed to allow them to return to the mainstream.
The seven boys, who were sent back to their families by senior superintendent of police (SSP) Gurmeet Singh Chauhan, were among the nine juveniles whose role had come to the fore in the high-profile case.
According to the police, some of them were accused of transporting the RPG, while others had provided logistical support to the prime suspects.
The Punjab Police had cracked the case on December 16 with the arrest of six persons, including two juveniles who had fired the weapon. These two have been sent to a juvenile observation home. The seventh accused, Ajmeet Singh, who was operating from the Goindwal Central Jail, was arrested after his remand with the state special operations cell in another case ended. Punjab director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav had said that the attack’s mastermind was gangster-turned-terrorist Lakhbir Singh alias Landa who is based in Canada.
“These boys have been given a chance to return to the mainstream. Bright future is waiting them. Their parents should keep tabs on their activities. Some of them had provided their motorcycles to the prime accused while some had gone to collect ₹8.5 lakh sent by Landa. Some of them had transported the weapon used in the crime,” said SSP Chauhan while addressing a press conference.
He said the foreign-based handlers had trapped the juveniles in order to deceive the police. He also appealed the parents to monitor the activities of their children.
“The two juveniles who had fired the RPG on the police station are the main accused and we will file a challan against them,” he added.
The police had in their investigation found that the two juveniles fell into Landa’s trap just for ₹15,000.
Several cases have surfaced in Punjab in the recent past when minors were roped in to commit hardcore crime, including targeted killings. A senior Punjab Police official said, “Gangsters sitting in foreign countries are enrolling mostly desperate minors, especially those with no criminal backgrounds, so that they can deceive the security forces.”
Meanwhile, the four adult accused were produced in a local court, which extended their police remand for four days.
