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Punjab AGTF arrests 3 aides of terrorist Harvinder Rinda from India-Nepal border, Gurugram
The shooters were being handled by gangster Sonu Khatri, a close associate of terrorist Harvinder Rinda
Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGFT) of Punjab Police, in coordination with central agencies, arrested three absconding shooters from the Indo-Nepal border and Gurugram. According to police, the three shooters were working for gangster Sonu Khatri, a close associate of terrorist Harvinder Rinda.
The shooters were brought to the state on Friday and heavy police force has been deployed at gate no 1 of the Chandigarh airport to receive the three accused.
Punjab director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav identified the arrested shooters as Sukhmanjot Singh alias Sukhman Brar of New Deol Nagar in Jalandhar, Jaskaran Singh alias Jassi Lodhipur of village Lodhipur in SBS Nagar and Jograj Singh alias Joga of village Pholriwal in Jalandhar.
Police teams have also recovered three foreign-made sophisticated pistols of .32 bore from their possession, he added.
“In an intelligence-led operation, police teams from AGTF under the supervision of ADGP Promod Ban nabbed accused Sukhman Brar from Indo-Nepal border, while he was attempting to escape to Nepal, and other two were arrested from Gurugram,” the DGP said, adding that trio arrested shooters were planning to prepare fake passports to escape abroad from Kathmandu, Nepal.
He said that all the arrested persons are involved in at least five murder cases including Makhan murder cases, which took place in Nawanshahr in March 2022, besides, five cases of other heinous crimes including attempt to murder, Arms Act, carjacking and extortion. “They were also involved in a broad daylight shootout at Metro Plaza in Zirakpur,” he added.
Sharing more details, AIG Sandeep Goel, who was leading the operation, said that preliminary investigations have revealed that arrested accused persons used to commit sensational crimes in Punjab on the directions of gangster Sonu Khatri, and after committing the crime they used to take refuge in hideouts located in different parts of the country and Nepal.
“It has also been revealed that hideouts were arranged by foreign handler Sonu Khatri, who also used to pay the shooters regularly via hawala transactions,” he said, adding that further investigations are on.
NRI hired trio for contract killing
AGTF DSP Ramandeep Singh said the trio were hired by US-based NRI wherein two persons — Inderjit Singh of Nawanshahr and Satinder Singh of Ludhiana— were injured in a shootout at Metro Plaza in Zirakpur on July 31, this year.
Zirakpur police have booked the US-based NRI identified as Jaswinder Singh Jassa, for ordering the hit.
