Crackdown on those shielding gangsters

BATHINDA: After the killing of a rice mill owner in Jaitu on Saturday and the accused still out of police custody, police have launched a crackdown to nab people sheltering absconding gangsters.

Four cases of sheltering gangsters were registered on Tuesday. Bathinda police have registered total five such cases in past three days, and arrested three persons under Section 212 (harbouring offender) and 216 (harbouring offender who has escaped from custody or whose apprehension has been ordered) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Amandeep Singh, of Goniana Kalan, was nabbed for sheltering people involved in thefts and snatching. Similarly, Naib Singh, of Lehra Khana, was booked for sheltering gangster Jagsir Singh; Pritam Singh, of Partap Nagar, was arrested for sheltering snatchers; Kirat Singh, of Lehra Khana, was arrested for sheltering gangster Seera Sidhana; Santokh Kaur, sister of gangster Gurbaksh Singh Sewewala was held for sheltering him.

Faridkot police had registered case against 17 persons on Sunday for sheltering gangsters Harsimranjit Singh Sema (booked for killing the rice mill owner in Jaito) and Sewewala (booked for hatching conspiracy in this case). Moga police have booked four persons in similar cases.

Bathind senior superintendent of police (SSP) Navin Singla said, “Gangsters cannot survive without help of others. If we book and arrest those sheltering these criminals, it will be easier to arrest the criminals.”

He said that after the Jaito rice mill owner’s murder, police have taken in nine gangsters, who were out on bail, in preventive detention under Section 110 (security for good behaviour from habitual offenders) and 151 (arrest to prevent the commission of cognizable offences) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

BATHINDA POLICE HAVE REGISTERED FIVE CASES OF SHELTERING OF GANGSTERS IN PAST THREE DAYS AND ARRESTED 3 PERSONS IN THIS CONNECTION