Batala murder case: Police arrest suspect following exchange of fire

Batala police have arrested Manik Kumar, a key suspect in the murder of Jasdeep Singh alias Deep Cheema, who was killed by five persons a few days ago. The arrest was made after a trap was laid on the Batala-Amritsar road late last evening.

The cops said it was a case of internecine warfare as the deceased was aligned to the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria group. This group has a long-standing animosity with gangster Donny Bal. Several firing incidents have been reported from the city due to this rivalry.

Keeping in view the severity of the incident, DIG (Border) Sandeep Goel rushed to Batala from Amritsar yesterday evening.

A police officer said Manik on his way to the city from Amritsar when the cops, who had prior information about his movements, signalled him to stop. However, the accused opened fire following which the cops retaliated.

Manik was injured in the crossfire and has been admitted to the civil hospital.

The cops have already arrested two of the accused involved in the case. They have been identified as Harvinder Harry and Savinder Singh. Manik is the third person to be arrested.

“We have definite clues of the movement of the remaining two accused and we hope to nab them soon,” said SSP Sohail Qasim Mir.

Both the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria and Donny Bal gangs have been involved in extortion incidents in the past. The police are keeping an eye on the movements of their loyalists.