‘Cobra Gang’ busted
From Varinder Walia
Tribune News Service

AMRITSAR, Dec 6 — In a major breakthrough, the police here has busted “Cobra Gang” and arrested its 12 members, including four police officials, two women and its kingpin Satpal Singh Satta.

The news “Cobra Gang resurfaces” was published in these columns on October 8. The gang having some police officials as its members resurfaced after a gap of a decade.

The gang was active in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. The members of this gang, including some low ranking police officials, were involved in a number of crimes, including extortions, killings and lootings. Earlier, the police had arrested two sub-inspectors, two head constables and a constable who were members of this gang. Now the police has arrested four more low-ranking police officials.

According to official information available with The Tribune, the members of the “Cobra Gang” were readily available for any crime, including killings on “hired basis”.

It is interesting, the members of “Cobra Gang” had been making threatening calls to SHOs concerned against making any raid to family member or making any bid to nab them.

So much so many members of the gang had committed crimes while on bail.

News about the reorganisation of the “Cobra Gang” had come to light when a goldsmith was killed by a hired killer. The killer was hired by relatives of the goldsmith. A victim Paramjit Singh (a goldsmith) told this correspondent that members of the gang were hired by his own relatives on August 8 — the Rakhi day to liquidate him along with his brother-in-law while going to catch a Mathura-bound train. In this incident his brother-in-law Kulwant Singh was killed by the culprits who had committed the crime on hired basis.

The other members of the gang arrested by the police included Inderjit Singh, Tarsem Singh, alias Lali alias, Manjit Singh and Tarsem Singh.

According to district police chief, Mr Parampal Singh Sidhu, a huge quantity of arms and ammunition, cash, gold and mobile phones had been recovered from the accused persons.

More arrests are likely in the near future.