Punjab: Sukha Duneke gang member held after encounter in Barnala
According to Barnala senior superintendent of police Sarfaraz Alam, the accused, identified as Lovepreet Singh, suffered bullet injuries in his leg
An aide of slain gangster Sukhdool Singh Gill, alias Sukha Duneke, was arrested following a police encounter near Vidhata village on the Barnala-Moga national highway early on Tuesday morning.
According to Barnala senior superintendent of police Sarfaraz Alam, the accused has been identified as Lovepreet Singh, also known as Jando. Acting on intelligence inputs, a police team led by station house officer (SHO) Jagjit Singh of Tallewal police station set up a checkpoint on the highway. Around dawn, a man on an unregistered Platina motorcycle approached the checkpoint and opened fire when signaled to stop.
“Police returned fire, injuring the suspect in the leg. During the exchange, two bullets were fired at the police, one of which struck their vehicle. Lovepreet was apprehended and immediately taken to the Civil Hospital in Barnala for treatment,” the SSP said.
The SHO said that his condition was stable, adding that a .30 bore pistol without a licence and the unregistered motorcycle were recovered from the accused.
Police said Lovepreet is a history-sheeter. He has multiple cases registered against him including five murder cases, extortion and robbery. He was absconding in a murder case at the time of the encounter.
A case has been registered against the accused under Section 109(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 25, 54, and 59 of the Arms Act. Further investigations are ongoing, the police said.
Sukhdool Singh Gill, for whom Lovepreet worked, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Winnipeg, Canada, in September 2023.
