Face2News/Chandigarh/Amritsar

Cracking the murder of former Sarpanch from Valtoha, Jharmal Singh, within days, Commissionerate Police Amritsar has sent a strong and unmistakable message to organised crime by arresting seven accused, including two shooters, in a decisive blow to the Prabh Dasuwal gang.

Punjab’s Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav reiterated Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann’s zero tolerance policy against organised crime, asserting that criminals operating in Punjab “will not be able to hide even in hell” and warning that anyone involved in violence will be tracked down from any nook, within or outside the country, to face the law. 

Police investigations have established gangster Prabh Dasuwal as the mastermind behind the murder, committed due to old enmity, underscoring the pre planned and targeted nature of the crime. The DGP, accompanied by Additional Director General of Police Counter Intelligence Amit Prasad, Inspector General of Police Headquarters Dr Sukhchain Singh Gill and Commissioner of Police Amritsar Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, said the swift breakthrough reflected the firm resolve of Punjab Police to act decisively against organised crime. 

Providing details of the arrests, DGP Gaurav Yadav said the accused have been identified as Sukhraj Singh alias Gunga (20) of Thakkarpura in Tarn Taran, Karamjeet Singh (23) of village Passanwal in Gurdaspur, Jobanpreet Singh (19) of village Bhai Ladhu in Tarn Taran, Harpreet Singh alias Happy (27) of village Bahadur Nagar in Tarn Taran, Jobanpreet Singh (20), Kulwinder Singh alias Kinda (20) and Armandeep Singh (18), the latter three residents of village Kalsian Kalan in Tarn Taran. He said Sukhraj Singh alias Gunga has a prior criminal history involving theft and Arms Act cases and was also involved in the Rajwinder Singh alias Raj, Sarpanch murder case. 

DGP Gaurav Yadav said investigations revealed that gangster Prabh Dasuwal had old enmity with the deceased former Sarpanch and had even fired at him earlier, clearly indicating a pre planned and well orchestrated conspiracy. He said the case was taken up on the highest priority and multiple specialised teams were constituted to investigate the murder. 

“The investigation, aided by a combination of technical surveillance and precise human intelligence, enabled police teams to identify both shooters Sukhraj Singh alias Gunga and Karamjeet Singh involved in the crime,” DGP Gaurav Yadav said. 

He said sustained inter state coordination, intelligence led tracking and close cooperation with Central agencies and Chhattisgarh Police led to the arrest of both shooters from Raipur in Chhattisgarh. “Both accused were deliberately changing locations across multiple states including Maharashtra, Delhi, Bihar, Punjab and Chhattisgarh and were using forged Aadhaar cards to conceal their identity and evade police detection,” he said. 

The DGP said another police team, with assistance from SSOC Mohali, arrested two more accused, both named Jobanpreet Singh, from Mohali. He said Harpreet Singh alias Happy was arrested from Valtoha, while Kulwinder Singh alias Kinda and Armandeep Singh were arrested from the Bhikhiwind area of Tarn Taran. He added that investigations revealed these five accused played a crucial role in the conspiracy by providing logistics, shelter, weapons and a motorcycle to the shooters. 

DGP Gaurav Yadav said the probe has further revealed that the shooters and the accused providing logistical support did not know each other and were acting independently, solely on the instructions of Prabh Dasuwal. 

Referring to the larger crackdown on crime, the DGP said that after the success of the “Yudh Nashian Virudh” anti drug campaign, the Punjab Government led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann is set to launch a decisive campaign against organised crime, with a focus on extraditing criminals sitting abroad. 

“Whosoever is committing violence or involved in shooting in Punjab, Punjab Police will nab the miscreant from any nook, in or outside the country, to face the law,” DGP Gaurav Yadav said, reiterating the government’s commitment to eradicate organised crime from the border state.