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Terrorist Landa aide caught from Mohali after hot chase
As per police sources, Rajan Bhatti was residing in an MIG flat in Sector 71. When cops got a whiff of his presence in the area, an SSOC team led by sub-inspector Harminder Singh, assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Baljit Singh and head constable Yuvraj Singh laid a checkpost there.
A close associate of Canada-based terrorist Lakhbir Singh Landa was nabbed from Sector 71 in Mohali after a brief encounter on Thursday.
The accused was identified as Rajan Bhatti, 30, a resident of Gurdaspur’s Mustafabad Jatta village, who was wanted by the State Special Operation Cell (SSOC), Mohali, in several cases including targeted killings and drug smuggling.
Tip-off, dead-end & last-ditch effort to flee on foot
As per police sources, Bhatti was residing in an MIG flat in Sector 71. When cops got a whiff of his presence in the area, an SSOC team led by sub-inspector Harminder Singh, assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Baljit Singh and head constable Yuvraj Singh laid a checkpost there.
On approaching the naka, Bhatti, who was in a white-coloured BMW car, was signaled to stop. But he sped away and almost managed to escape before he reached a dead-end in a residential area in Sector 71. As police cars that were tailing him blocked his way, Bhatti abandoned his car and ran into a nearby park and later entered a house after scaling the walls. On hearing the commotion, residents of this house rushed out and also let loose their two dogs.
An SSOC officer said that the gangster climbed to the terrace of the house but by then police teams had already surrounded the house.
“To dodge the police, he tried to jump to terrace of the adjoining house but got caught in a barbed wire mesh and injured himself. Acting swiftly at the opportunity, the team nabbed him,” the officer added.
The entire incident took place close to a prominent Punjabi singer’s house and in full public view.
SSOC recovered two weapons, including a .32 bore and .45 bore pistol, besides ₹8 lakh drug money and around 300gm heroin from Bhatti’s car.
Sources said Bhatti’s female friend was also in the car when the chase ensued but as she was unaware of his drug business, she was not booked.
Police teams are now raiding the possible hideouts of his aides who used to help him run the drug business and provided him shelter. “Soon after they learnt of his arrest, they escaped. We will nab them soon,” said an officer.
Bhatti’s long list of crimes
In Punjab, Bhatti faces over 15 criminal cases, including targeted killings and disturbing communal harmony in state on the instructions of Landa and Harvinder Singh Rinda, police said.
In Chandigarh, he is booked in seven cases, including rape, robbery, drug smuggling, possession of illegal weapons among others. He had also fired at a deputy superintendent of Chandigarh police in the past when a team had gone to nab him. He had also escaped police custody from the Chandigarh district courts a number of times.
Notably, he, along with another associate of Landa, was arrested by the Delhi Police just before Republic Day.
