MOGA GANGSTER , FOUR AIDES NABBED AFTER SHOOTOUT IN KHARAR SOCIETY
JOINT OPERATION OCCU, Mohali and Jagraon police teams were tipped off about suspects hiding in an apartment
MOHALI: As gunshots echoed and terrified residents locked themselves in their apartments, a housing society in Kharar was the scene of a dramatic police encounter on Friday in which gangster Navdeep Singh Navi alias John Buttar from Moga was injured and four of his accomplices were arrested.
Acting on a tipoff, a team of organised crime control unit (OCCU) of Punjab police headed by additional inspector general (AIG) Gurmeet Singh Chauhan in a joint operation with Mohali and Jagraon police reached Aman Homes at 3pm.
The gangsters opened fire as the policemen attempted to break open the locked door of the apartment in the society where they were hiding, Chauhan said.
As the police team returned fire, Buttar received two bullet injuries in his legs. According to Punjab director general of police, Dinkar Gupta, two 9 mm pistols, a .30 bore, a 32 bore and two .315 bore pistols and 20 cartridges of different calibre were recovered from the men.
WANTED IN OVER 18 CRIMINAL CASES
Gupta said Buttar was wanted in over 18 criminal cases of murder, attempt to murder, dacoity and extortion. He was also accused of firing on the associates of Shinder
Singh, ex-sarpanch; and was the main accused in a firing incident at Buttar Kalan village in the recent past.
The others arrested included Kulwinder Singh, Parminder Singh alias Pinda, all residents of Buttar Kalan village in Moga, and Amritpal Singh and Amrik Singh, both residents of Samrala in Ludhiana.
Buttar, according to reports, was first taken to the Civil Hospital in Kharar, from where he was referred to the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh.
Mohali superintendent of police (investigation) Harmandeep Hans, who was also present with the team, said, “We learnt that the gangster John was declared a proclaimed offender in a case registered in 2012. ”
DSP, OCCU, Bikramjit Singh Brar said the encounter lasted for over five minutes in which around 10 gunshots were fired.
HIRED FLAT 10 DAYS AGO
Investigations revealed that the gangsters had rented the Aman Homes apartment 10 days ago through a broker named Mani. They were referred to Mani by a woman named Priyanka.
Apartment owner Harcharan Singh had reportedly skipped tenant verification.
The arrested men will be produced in a local court tomorrow and their police remand sought.
An FIR was registered at the Sadar police station in Kharar under sections 307, 353, 186, 120B of the Indian Penal Code and Section 25 of the Arms Act against the five men.