Jodha, 3 others land in police net

Tribune News Service

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Chandigarh, April 5

The crime branch of the UT police has arrested four members of the Jodha gang, including Yodha Singh, alias Jodha, his brother and brother-in-law, who were involved in incidents of carjacking and robbery.

The police have recovered an i20 car that was robbed last month. The police claim to have solved four cases in Chandigarh and two in Punjab with their arrest. A Swift Dzire, that was robbed from Jalandhar in February and used for committing crime, has also been recovered by the police.

A team, led by Inspector Amanjot Singh, in-charge of the crime branch, arrested Jodha (24), his elder brother Gulab Singh (28), both residents of Bhoepur village in Jalandhar district, Jodha’s brother-in-law Amrik Singh, alias Mikka (34), a resident of Kansal village near Nayagaon, and Devender Singh, alias Heer Singh (32), a resident of Nahiwala village in Sirsa distrcit of Haryana. They were arrested at a naka near the Sector 39 grain market.

Jodha, a notorious criminal who is also wanted by the Punjab Police, was earlier arrested by the crime branch on January 6. However, on February 6, Jodha escaped from police custody near Khanna while he was being brought back from a court hearing at Faridkot. Since then, he was continuously striking in the city along with his gang members.

Inspector Amanjot said four cases reported from Chandigarh in the past three months had been solved with the arrest of the accused. A country-made pistol was recovered from their possession.

Jodha struck after escape

Within three days of his escape from police custody, Jodha, along with his brother-in-law, forcibly took away a Swift Dzire car from Jalandhar. After escaping from police custody, Jodha called Amrik and they met at Shahkot and the duo then robbed the car. 

Was a wrestler, won many prizes

Jodha was a wrestler and had won many prizes. He has also lifted the Punjab Kesari title in one of the tournaments.

Accused drug addicts

The accused used to shuttle between various cities in Punjab and Chandigarh to look for a prey. They used to return to Jalandhar after committing robberies. All accused are drug addicts and committed robberies to fund their drug addiction. 

Cases the police claim to have solved with their arrest

• March 21: An i20 car was robbed from a cab driver at gunpoint on the road separating Sector 52 and 53 near the furniture market during the wee hours. 
• March 13: A 23-year-old IT firm staffer riding a motorcycle was kidnapped and robbed of Rs 20,000 at gunpoint. The victim was kidnapped on the road separating Sector 49 and 50 and taken to Kharar from where money was withdrawn from an ATM. 
• February 27: A restaurant manager, who was returning home on his motorcycle, was kidnapped at gunpoint on the road separating Sector 5 and 8 and robbed of Rs 10,700. The victim was also stabbed on both his legs and dropped near Kharar after an hour. 
• January 21: Two persons were robbed of cash at gunpoint at the Sector 25/38 roundabout and Dhanas. 

Criminal past 

• Devender Singh: He was earlier arrested by the Punjab Police in a case of murder, an attempt to murder, rape, under the Arms Act and two cases of robbery. Devender is a former accomplice of gangster Davender Bambiha, who was shot dead in a police encounter in 2016. 
• Gulab Singh: He was sentenced to 10-year imprisonment in a case under the NDPS Act, but was recently granted bail. 
• Amrik Singh: Amrik is a proclaimed offender (PO) and was earlier arrested in seven cases, including four cases of vehicle theft, one under the NDPS Act and one case of obstructing the police from performing their duty and escaping from the custody of the police. 
• Yodha Singh: He has been sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment in a case under the NDPS Act.