ARRESTED ACCUSED LAVISH WAS WANTED BY PUNJAB POLICE IN MULTIPLE CASES INCLUDING MURDER AND EXTORTION: DGP GAURAV YADAV. DGP PUNJAB THANKED GUJARAT POLICE AND HIS COUNTERPART FOR THEIR SUPPORT IN INTER-STATE OPERATION, LAVISH HAD CONDUCTED RECCE OF LIQUOR CONTRACTOR AND TRAVEL AGENT, DEMANDED ₹50L AS EXTORTION 

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Amidst the ongoing drive to make Punjab a safe and secure state as per the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Punjab Police has arrested close associate of foreign-based terrorist Arsh Dalla and Jindi Mehandipuria, who is a brother of slain terrorist Teja Mehandipuri, from Ahmedabad in Gujarat, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Monday. 

The operation was jointly conducted by Counter Intelligence (CI) Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur Police with the support of Gujarat Police. 

DGP Gaurav Yadav said that preliminary investigations have revealed that accused Lavish was acting under the direct instructions of Arsh Dalla and was engaged in extortion activities, including firing at targets to intimidate victims. The arrested accused has a criminal background with multiple cases pertaining to murder, attempted extortion through gunfire, and other serious offences have been registered against him, he added. 

He said that Accused Lavish has remained in constant communication with his foreign-based handlers and was preparing to execute a sensational crime in Punjab. 

“We extend sincere thanks to Gujarat Police and DGP Gujarat for their outstanding support in this inter-state operation,” said DGP Gaurav Yadav. 

Sharing operation details, Assistant Inspector General (AIG) CI Jalandhar Navjot Singh Mahal said that Punjab Police has been following the trail of the accused Lavish from last few months, and following the technical and human-intel, Police teams have managed to track his location in Gujarat. “With the support of Gujarat Police, we have successfully arrested him from the area of Usmanpura in Gujarat,” he said. 

The AIG said that preliminary investigation has revealed that accused Lavish had conducted reconnaissance of a Rahon-based liquor contractor and a Nawanshahr-based travel agent from whom Arsh Dalla had demanded extortion of ₹50 lacs each. 

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Hoshiarpur Sandeep Kumar Malik said that the accused Lavish was absconding since May 2024 after conducting murder in the Model Town area of Hoshiarpur. The arrested accused had also fired gunshots outside the house in Sukhdev Nagar to intimidate the owner to extort money, he said, while adding that further investigation is underway to identify additional operatives and trace both backward and forward linkages in this case.