E-Paper
Manna murder case: Muktsar cops in touch with Haryana counterparts to grill gangster Basodi
Manna, who had a criminal past, was gunned down outside a shopping mall in Muktsar district
The Muktsar police have started the process of contacting their Haryana counterparts to interrogate gangster Raju Basodi and his close aide Kapil in the murder of history-sheeter Manpreet Singh Manna.
Muktsar senior superintendent of police (SSP) Raj Bachan Singh Sandhu said Basodi is a key suspect in Manna’s murder that took place on December 2 at Malout town. He said Basodi will be soon brought on production warrant for further investigation in the crime.
“Within an hour of the murder, a post on gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s social media page claimed that Manna was eliminated by his group. In that online post, the involvement of Basodi was specifically mentioned. Basodi, who originally hails from Sonepat in Haryana, is a close aide of the gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is currently lodged in a jail in Rajasthan,” said the SSP.
Manna, who had a criminal past, was gunned down outside a shopping mall in Muktsar district. He died on the spot whereas his friend Jacky Kalra was injured in the attack.
Following a tip-off, a team of Haryana police held Basodi from his hideout in Thailand. He was flown back to India on Saturday and a team of the special task force (STF) of Haryana police took his custody.
Police sources say the Bishnoi gang targeted Manna for allegedly turning a police informer.
Also, police investigation zeroed in on the involvement of four criminals —Kapil, Rajan, Rajesh and Rahul- all from Haryana in the murder case. Officials said Kapil, a sharpshooter who is also in the custody of Haryana police, will be brought soon be interrogated by Muktsar police.
“Kapil and his accomplices were mainly active in the National Capital Region (NCR). Prior to Manna’s murder, names of the four accused were not found in the crime data of Punjab,” said a police official.
