Retired AIG threatened by gangsters he interrogated, FIR registered

Complaint pending for 10 months with Ludhiana police so approached high court to get related orders issued, says Sandeep Sharma, retired assistant inspector general of anti-drug special task force

The Ludhiana police on Friday registered an FIR in connection with the threats being issued to a retired senior Punjab Police officer by “notorious gangsters whom he interrogated” during his service.

Haibowal SHO says the gangsters named by the complainant will be brought in for questioning and nominated in the FIR according to the probe findings.

Retired assistant inspector general (AIG) Sandeep Sharma, who was posted with the anti-drug special task force (STF), had to approach the Punjab and Haryana high court for the FIR registration as, according to him, his complaint remained pending with the Ludhiana police commissioner’s office for over 10 months.

The former AIG, who retired in 2022, stated in his complaint that he has been receiving threatening calls from notorious gangsters, including Lawrence Bishnoi and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria. Sharma, who is living in Ludhiana, added that during his tenure as STF AIG, he had conducted raids and interrogated gangsters, such as Bagga Khan alias Buta, Munish Parbhakar, Goru Bachha, Sukh Bhikariwal and Rajpal alias Raja.

After he received threats, then special STF DGP Harpreet Sidhu had granted him security cover. The Ludhiana police had on July 28, 2023 registered an FIR under Sections 294, 115, 500, 506, 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and two gangsters Bagga Khan and Parbhakar were subsequently arrested.

In another complaint on March 15, 2024, Sharma mentioned that after the arrest of Bagga Khan and Parbhakar, other gangsters including Bishnoi and Bhagwanpuria began threatening him, asking him to withdraw his FIR dated July 28, 2023. Sharma said he got calls directly from Bishnoi and Bhagwanpuria.

Despite the assistant deputy commissioner of police (ADCP) recommending action on May 1, 2024, Sharma’s complaint remained pending with the police commissioner’s office for over 10 months so he then approached the high court. The HC, in its order on March 3 this year, asked the Punjab DGP to take action within three weeks.

After a fresh investigation by the Ludhiana DCP (investigation), a new FIR has been registered against unknown persons under Section 195-A of the IPC at the Haibowal police station. The FIR states that during a 2023 investigation, gangster Buta Khan (lodged in Bathinda jail) admitted that he had done a recce (survey) to kill Sharma. Gangster Parbhakar is lodged in Hoshiarpur jail.

Police officials have assured Sharma that the gangsters mentioned in his complaint would soon be summoned on production warrants and questioned. Sub-inspector Jasvir Singh, station house officer (SHO) of the Haibowal police station, said, “The gangsters named by the complainant will be brought in for questioning and nominated in the FIR according to the probe findings.”