Gangster shot at by cops while trying to escape from custody

Amritsar, August 23

A gangster identified as Gurpreet Singh, alias Billa, a resident of Mehsampura, was today injured when he tried to escape from the police custody. He was shot at by a police team whne he attacked cops with bricks and stones while attempting to flee from the custody.

He suffered a bullet injury on the leg and was admitted to Baba Bakala Civil Hospital for treatment. Gurpreet was among three persons who were arrested by the rural police on August 16. Others, who were nabbed, included Navraj Singh, a resident of Nath Ki Khui, and Gagandeep Singh, a resident of Mehsampur village in Mehta. They were operatives of an organised crime syndicate backed by Portugal-based gangster Manpreet Singh, alias Munn Ghanshampuria, and Balwinder Singh Donni. The police had recovered two pistols, a revolver, four mobile phones and a Thar vehicle from the possession of the suspects. The trio was currently in police remand.

During interrogation, Gurpreet Billa disclosed that he had hidden a weapon in the cremation ground of Nangal village. A police team was taking him to the spot when he tried to dodge cops and escape. In an attempt to flee, he threw bricks and stones at the police team following which the cops first fired into air and then shot him in the leg.

The gangsters had recently fired gunshots at Master Book Shop in Mehta and demanded Rs 50 lakh extortion from the owner Jagjit Singh. Munn Ghanshampuria and Balwinder Singh Donni have many criminal cases registered against them in the Amritsar rural belt. Recently, they had shot dead a youth during poll in in Lok Sabha elections at Lakhowal village. Following youth’s murder, the village had boycotted the polls.