SI’s son among 2 detained for sheltering shooters

THEY ARE BEING INTERROGATED TO ASCERTAIN IF THEY HAD INFORMATION REGARDING THE MURDER OR HAD JUST BEEN ASKED TO PROVIDE SHELTER

FARIDKOT: Four days after the murder of a Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda follower at Kotkapura, Faridkot police have detained two Panjabi University students, including son of a Punjab Police sub-inspector posted in Bathinda, who are suspected of having provided shelter to the shooters in Patiala after the killing.

According to an official privy to the development, after killing the Dera follower, Pardeep Singh, who was also an accused in the 2015 Bargari sacrilege case, the six shooters abandoned their two motorcycles and fled in two cars waiting for them at Bajakhana, 15km from the crime site in Kotkapura. “They headed for Patiala, where arrangements were made for their stay,” the official said. Both were detained from Patiala on Monday morning, said the police.

They are being interrogated to ascertain if they had information regarding the murder or had just been asked to provide shelter.

Faridkot senior superintendent of police Rajpal Singh said that the police are questioning suspects who helped the shooters.

“We cannot disclose any names yet as their roles are being verified. Once evidence is found, they will be arrested. Police teams are conducting raids to arrest the three absconding shooters,” he said.

Dera follower Pardeep Singh was shot dead inside his shop at Hari Nau in Kotkapura on November 10. According to police, the accused fired 55 bullets during the attack on Pardeep, who had sustained eight bullets.

The police have identified all six assailants, including four from the Haryana module and two of the Punjab module of the gang being run by Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar, an accomplice of fugitive Harvinder Singh, alias Rinda, and jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.

The special cell of Delhi Police arrested three shooters of the Haryana module, including Jitender Singh of Rohtak and two teenagers, from Patiala in less than 24 hours after the murder, while Punjab Police are yet to make any arrest. The two Punjab module shooters have been identified as Bhupinder Singh, alias Goldy, and Manpreet Singh, alias Mani, of Faridkot. While the fourth absconding member of the Haryana module is identified as a person with an alias, Hooda.

Pardeep was an accused in two cases of sacrilege after a ‘bir’ of Guru Granth Sahib was stolen from Burj Jawahar Singh Wala village on June 1, 2015, and after torn pages of a ‘bir’ were found scattered near Bargari gurdwara on October 12, 2015. He was granted bail in the sacrilege cases on August 3, 2021.