Gangster held, 3 flee after hourlong exchange of fire
HIGH DRAMA AT FAIR Gangsters were spotted at a village fair in Tarn Taran district
TARN TARAN: The Tarn Taran police arrested an alleged gangster, Gagandeep Singh, alias Gaggan, after an hour-long exchange of fire at Dhun Dhai Wala village in Mand area of Khadoor Sahib sub-division, 30 km from the district headquarters, on Thursday night.
However, three of his aides managed to flee even after deployment of heavy police force, taking advantage of dark and the marshy area on the banks of the river Beas, sources said.
Two of the three were identified as Mandeep Singh of Munda Pind village, and Janga Singh of Rahal Chahal village, in Tarn Taran; but the identity of the third who escaped was yet to be ascertained. He is reportedly from Muktsar district.
According to information from local sources, the gangsters were at a fair of Baba Jehar Wali in the village on Thursday evening, carrying firearms, but no one called the cops out of fear. Station house officer (SHO) of Chohla Sahib police, Sukhraj Singh, was the chief guest, and the gangsters fired aerial shots before he reached.
Someone informed the SHO about the firing. While he reached their in a car, he got some other personnel with him, who were on motorbikes. Getting wind, the gangsters tried to flee, but the police rounded them up. First, the gangsters tried to drive through the cops’ group in their car, colliding with their bikes. Then they got off the car and sought to hide in the paddy fields nearby. Soon, around 150 cops, including senior superintendent of police (SSP) Darshan Singh Mann, reached the spot. According to the villagers, exchange of fire erupted. Sources said more than 50 shots were fired in all, as the police also used 15 tractors of the villagers to light up the spot as the gangsters hid in the dark. By the time two tractors fitted with bullet-proof armour were sent from the Tarn Taran headquarters, three of the men managed to flee. From Gaggan, police seized a .12-bore rifle.
Gaggan and his aides are accused in several cases, including those of attempt to murder, said sources. The SSP said, “We have arrested Gagandeep, and the others will also be arrested soon.”
HIS AIDES MANAGE TO ESCAPE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF DARK AND THE MARSHY AREA ON THE BANKS OF T HE RIVER BEAS