Gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria’s close aide Nav Pandori nabbed

The police have arrested Nav Pandori, an alleged close associate of A-category gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, currently lodged in Silchar Jail in Assam, under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (PITNDPS Act).

Terming it a significant arrest, the police seized a pistol from his possession. According to the police, he was supposed to get delivery of recent consignment of weapons, including an AK 308 Saiga rifle, smuggled from Pakistan through drone. These weapons were seized from two individuals a week ago.

Apart from assault rifle AK-308 Saiga with two magazines, the special cell of the Amritsar rural police confiscated two Glock 9 mm pistols with four magazines, 90 live cartridges of AK rifle, 10 live cartridges (9mm) and Rs 7.50 lakh drug money, an I-20 car and three mobile phones from two individuals identified as Gora and Joban.

This is for the first time that such a long-range military grade assault rifle was smuggled from Pakistan setting the alarm bells ringing for the Punjab Police. Following the seizure, Nav Pandori had gone into hiding.

Maninder Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Amritsar rural, confirmed his arrest while adding that Pandori was currently on police remand and further probe into the matter was in progress.

Since the brutal killing of Jaggu Bhagwanpuria’s mother Harjit Kaur and his cousin Karanvir Singh on June 26 by armed assailants and operatives of the Bambiha gang, Bhagwanpuria had allegedly got a number of sophisticated weapons smuggled from Pakistan, a police official privy to the investigation said.

As there is a fear of escalation of gang war between the Bhagwanpuria and Bambiha gang, the Punjab Police is on high alert.

Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, also an accused in the killing of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala in Mansa, has over 100 criminal cases of different nature registered against him at various police stations acorss Punjab and other states.

The PITNDPS Act pertains to detention of persons involved in any manner with illicit traffic in narcotics, drugs and psychotropic substances for one or two years in order to prevent him/her from engaging in such harmful and illegal activities.