Cop injured during shootout in Panchkula, four gangsters held

The police team headed by inspector Rajnish Choudhary , station house officer (SHO) of Mohali’s Phase 8 station, raided the hideout at 5.30am

Punjab Police on Sunday arrested four gangsters, who were wanted in an attempt-to-murder case in Mohali, after an exchange of fire, in which a head constable was injured, in Haryana’s Panchkula district.

A team of the Mohali police had received a tip-off that the four gangsters, including the prime accused, were hiding in Billa village in Chandimandir.

They were wanted for the attempted murder of a 22-year-old milkman, Kamalpreet Singh of Chachumajra village in Kharar, who was shot by three motorcycle-borne men at Mohali’s Phase 9 on March 11, in what was reported to be the fallout of a college rivalry.

The police team headed by inspector Rajnish Choudhary , station house officer (SHO) of Mohali’s Phase 8 station, raided the hideout at 5.30am.

The team surrounded the place where the prime accused, Harsimran, alias Simu, of Naraingarh in Ambala, besides the other three — Dhruv Mohan Garg of Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, Gurcharan Singh, alias Gunna, of Parwala village in Raipur Rani, and Gurpreet Singh, alias Gopi, of Dera Bassi — had been putting up for the last one month, said police.

As the team broke the main door of the house, Simu opened fire, but the team managed to nab two of the accused, police said.

The others ran upstairs and Dhruv shot at head constable Raspreet Singh, however, police nabbed them. Raspreet was rushed to the Panchkula civil hospital, but later was referred to GMCH, Sector 32, Chandigarh.

The accused were handed over to the Panchkula police. Chandimandir SHO inspector Deepak Kumar said two country-made pistols with magazines, six live cartridges and two bullet shells were recovered from the accused.

They were then handed over to the Sector 26 crime branch of Panchkula Police. They will be produced in a local court on Monday.

A case was registered at Chandimandir police station under Sections 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 307 (attempt to murder), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code and under the Arms Act .

Sources said two men from Kot Billa village in Chandimandir had got them the house on rent. Police said they will initiate action against the duo as well for harbouring the gangsters.

Meanwhile, Panchkula Police officials said as per initial investigation, Simu and Gunna, were involved in the Mohali case along with an aide. “Both of them knew each other as they have been booked in an attempt-to-murder case in Naraingarh last year. Both are associated with Bhupi Rana gang and were involved in a brawl that took place in the Ambala central jail between the former gang members and Lawrence Bishnoi group last year,” said an official, privy to the case.