Having earned the praise of Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh for killing Punjab’s most-wanted gangster Vicky Gounder, the team that led the operation is currently the talk of the town.
Hindustan Times tracks the four key police officers involved in the investigation following which Gounder was killed during an encounter in Rajasthan’s Ganganagar.
Nilabh Kishore, Inspector General of Police
In-charge of Organised Crime Control Unit (OCCU), Kishore is counted among the low profile but highly-efficient officers of Punjab Police. He was the one responsible for connecting the dots of the distorted, half-baked information available with the intelligence wing of the state police. DGP Suresh Arora and DGP (intelligence) Dinkar Gupta gave him a free hand in chasing Gounder. Having served in the CBI for five years on deputation, Kishore used his personal connections in the intelligence wing of other states to get information about possible hideouts of the gangster.
Gurmeet Chauhan, Assistant Inspector General
Former Patiala SSP, Chauhan implemented the operation that was planned at the headquarter-level and had been camping in Fazilka district since January 24 with other team members. Sources said after carrying out a recee of the area, Chauhan concluded that Gounder was not alone inside the house. He finalized the police action plan and was led from the front in the firing. Ever since Gounder fled Nabha, Chaudhan had been closely following his movements and had personally grilled one of the gangster’s friends about possible hideouts.
{{/usCountry}}Former Patiala SSP, Chauhan implemented the operation that was planned at the headquarter-level and had been camping in Fazilka district since January 24 with other team members. Sources said after carrying out a recee of the area, Chauhan concluded that Gounder was not alone inside the house. He finalized the police action plan and was led from the front in the firing. Ever since Gounder fled Nabha, Chaudhan had been closely following his movements and had personally grilled one of the gangster’s friends about possible hideouts.
{{/usCountry}}Bikram Brar, Inspector
A ‘dabang’ and daredevil police officer, Brar can be called the real hero of the operation as he was the first to enter Gounder’s hideout. Posted as Rajpura CIA in-charge, Chauhan, due to operational skills and integrity, is counted among the blue-eyed ‘boys’ of senior Punjab Police officials. Son of a police officer who was gunned down by militants during Punjab’s dark terrorism days, Brar is credited with arresting most of the gangsters who planned the Nabha jailbreak. A YPS Patiala passout, he is tech-savvy officer who like staying up-to-date.
Sandeep Goyal, Assistant Inspector General
Posted with the financial intelligence wing of Punjab police, Goyal’s role in the operation was to collect key technical information, such as locations of small-time criminals in touch with Gounder through the internet. His role in the operation was specially praised in the press conference by DGP Suresh Arora. He kept a close check on the Gounder’s contacts in border districts and their movements. Goyal is the brother of a senior officer in India’s premier intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW).