Punjab’s notorious gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria tests positive for Covid-19 in Batala

Several police personnel, including DSP-rank officials, quarantined after they interrogated gangster, who was brought to Batala from Patiala jail on production warrant in connection with an Akali sarpanch’s murder

BATALA: Gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, 29, on Tuesday tested positive for Covid-19 in Batala, where he was in police custody in connection with high-profile murder case of the Dhilwan Akali sarpanch.

Batala senior superintendent of police Opinderjit Singh said Bhagwanpuria’s samples were collected at the civil hospital in town during his medical check-up on May 2 and he had tested positive for coronavirus disease.

The SSP said that is not sure about the source of infection and has informed the civil surgeon.

A list of Bhagwanpuria’s direct and indirect contacts is being prepared. On the list are several police personnel, including DSP-rank officers, who have been quarantined and are being tested for the virus.

The Batala police had brought Bhagwanpuria,who was lodged in Patiala Central Jail, on production warrant for questioning in the murder case on April 30, following which he was questioned by the police.

RUNS RACKET FROM JAIL

The Tarn Taran police booked him for running a heroin smuggling racket while inside Patiala Central Jail. A recent dossier by the police’s Organised Crime Control Unit (OCCU) says that the jailed gangster has 33 accomplices in and outside Punjab who take orders from him.

Most of his accomplices are active in Tarn Taran, Amritsar and Gurdaspur districts.

WORST CRIME RECORD

Since 2011, Bhagwanpuria has 59 cases of murder, robbery, dacoity and snatching against him in various police stations of Punjab. Officials says his crime record is the worst in the state.

A native of Bhagwanpur village under Kotli Surat Mallian of Batala, the gangster’s original name is Jagdeep Singh, who started out as a small-time chain snatcher till 2011 when he came in contact with gangsters and was involved in heinous crimes.

In October 2019, AIG, counter intelligence, Jalandhar, Harkampreet Singh Khakh arrested Mannu Mehmapuria, a key aide of Bhagwanpuria, who admitted having killed another A-category gangster Gopi Ghanshampuria.