2 accomplices have fled to Malaysia, reveal gangsters

PK Jaiswar

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, May 19

Notorious gangsters — Harmanpreet Singh and Balraj Singh — who were arrested by the Amritsar rural police after a chase in Majitha on Friday evening, have been sent to three-day police custody by a local court.

Preliminary interrogation revealed that they belonged to the gang of Jagdeep Singh, alias Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, currently lodged in a Hoshiarpur jail. They were getting directions from another gangster, Pavittar Singh, who had escaped to Singapore around two years ago after extorting money from a jeweller and firing at Sulakhan Singh, alias Babbar, of Mattewal village, said Parampal Singh, SSP, Amritsar rural, while talking to this correspondent.

Highly placed sources revealed that two of their accomplices, Satnam Singh, alias Satta, of Khode Bangar village and Harwinder Singh Sandhu, managed to escape to Malaysia. While Satta fled away around 20 days ago, Sandhu went to Malaysia around one and a half month ago. This also raised a question mark on the functioning of Punjab police intelligence as to how they managed to slip away to foreign shores if they were wanted by the police.

The SSP said the police would write to the authorities concerned for extradition of Pavittar, Satta and Sandhu through diplomatic channels.

Harmanpreet Singh and Balraj had got arms from Pavittar. Harman has been booked in a murder and several attempt to murder cases. Similarly, Balraj has been in the police records in different cases of murder, attempt to murder and forcing people to commit suicide.

As per investigation, they first came in contact with the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gang during the student body elections when Bhagwanpuria and another gangster, Rana Kandowalia, were fighting with each other for heading a student union.

The police also succeeded in identifying other gangsters attached with the Bhagwanpuria gang. Two of their members, Gouravjit Singh of Rangarnangal and Husandeep Singh of Shahbad village, besides Bhagwanpuria, have been lodged in jails while Shubham and Aman Pehalwan are at large.

Harmanpreet Singh and Balraj were caught amid exchange of fire with the police near Budha Theh village on Friday. The police had recovered two pistols, 13 live cartridges and two magazines from their possession. They had also snatched a tractor from a farmer at gunpoint. While escaping, they had fired at the police party and entered a narrow street of the village before being caught.