Two of 3 men who chopped off youth’s fingers nabbed from Shambu toll plaza
Intercepted at Shambu toll plaza in Rajpura following a 55-km chase from Kala Amb in Himachal Pradesh; both members of Bhupi Rana gang, say Mohali police
A day after media reports about the brutal chopping off of a 24-year-old youth’s fingers in Barmajra village, Balongi, on February 8, the CIA staff of Mohali police on Saturday nabbed two of the three accused following a long chase that ended at Shambu toll plaza near Rajpura.
Mohali senior superintendent of police Sandeep Garg said both accused — identified as Gaurav Sharma alias Gauri and Tarun — are members of the Bhupi Rana gang.
The arrest came after a dramatic 55-km chase from Kala Amb in Himachal Pradesh, said police.
The accused tried to flee from Ambala towards Rajpura when the CIA team caught up on them. Trapped amid vehicles at the toll plaza, the accused opened fire at the CIA team that fired back at the tyres of their car to stop them, the SSP said.
Amid the melee, Gaurav suffered a bullet injury on the left thigh that police claimed was caused by his own weapon.
“As the car got stuck at the toll plaza, the CIA team approached them. In a state of panic, Gaurav accidentally shot himself, following which both accused were taken to a hospital in Banur. They were further referred to the Mohali civil hospital in Phase 6,” said a senior police official.
Police recovered the accused’s Maruti Swift car used in the February 8 attack, besides a .9mm pistol, along with three bullet shells and a live cartridge from their possession.
Drama unfolded in front of shocked commuters
The entire incident was captured on CCTV cameras installed at the toll plaza. The CIA team can be seen rushing towards the accused’s car, bearing a Punjab number, and then smashing the passenger side window, before pulling out one of the accused. Commuters around the spot and staff at the toll plaza ran for cover on noticing the encounter.
“Teams set up under the supervision of SP (Investigation) Amandeep Singh Brar, DSP Gursher Sandhu and CIA inspector Shiv Kumar traced the accused. We will arrest all other accused involved in the incident and those who harboured them post crime,” the SSP said.
Notably, the police had come under scrutiny for keeping the gory crime under wraps for two weeks before it was brought to light through tweets by Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira and BJP leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Friday.
According to police, Gaurav was released on bail from Ambala jail a few days before the crime. He is facing three criminal cases, including those of attempt to murder, assault and drugs, registered at Balongi station, apart from another in Chandigarh, aimed at avenging the murder of his brother Bunty Sharma, who was attacked with swords and bricks while trying to rescue a friend in Barmajra on August 16, 2022.
On February 8, his two accomplices had approached the victim, Hardip, who works as a driver, near his house in Barmajra. Claiming to be staff from the police’s CIA, they led him to a car, where Gaurav was waiting, before forcibly taking him to a forest in Barmajra.
There, they beat up Hardip to reveal information about the men behind the murder of Gauri’s brother. As he refused, one of the three men restrained him and another started filming, while the third chopped off his finger with a sharp-edged weapon, before fleeing in their car with his mobile phone.
The victim underwent surgery at PGIMER for reattachment of two of the four severed fingers. But it remained unsuccessful due to infection.
The accused are facing a case under Sections 365 (kidnapping), 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 25 of the Arms Act with regard to the attack on Hardip.