Attack on DSP: Now, police probe ex-councillor’s role behind attack
Nikhil Bhardwaj
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, July 23
After interrogating seven hardcore criminals and arresting three gangsters after a police encounter, the main kingpin, who planned the entire conspiracy of attack on deputy jail superintendent Vikramjit Panthe, is still a mystery for the police.
Although the three who were nabbed after the encounter confessed to committing the crime, they only admitted that they were not aware of the occupant’s identity and had fired at Panthe as they wanted to loot his Innova vehicle.
After the DSP Panthe gave lead to the police about the possible conspirators, the Jalandhar Commissionerate today brought Congress former councillor Sukhmeet Deputy and his aide Jatinder Mand on production warrant from the Patiala jail.
The duo, along with their accomplices, was sentenced to life imprisonment in August 2011 in a kidnapping case in which they had extorted a ransom of Rs 1 crore from a real estate developer from Mota Singh Nagar of the city in 2008. They had kidnapped Gagan, the son of film distributor and realtor Subash Nanda, from a Jandiala village. Deputy was transferred to the Patiala jail from Kapurthala Modern Jail in November 2013.
The role of the duo reportedly emerged after the DSP (Jails) received an anonymous phone call on July 6 through which the caller informed the DSP that the attack was orchestrated by former Congress councillor Deputy, his aide Mand and another prisoner lodged in Bathinda Jail. The caller had not revealed his identity to Panthe. The development has now shifted the investigation towards the new angle.
Sukhmeet Deputy’s counsel Navtej Singh Minhas and Mand’s counsel Mandeep Sachdev said the police had sought five days’ remand of the duo, but the court had granted only two days’ remand. “Deputy and Mand had been in the jail for the past around seven and a half years and their conduct in the jail was also good. No case of misconduct or any other violations in the jail had been registered against them so far. The duo had also come on parole three times,” the counsels added.
The police had brought three gangsters, namely Amanveer Singh Lalli, his brother Harjot Singh Harry and Paramveer Singh Rinka, on production warrant on July 1. Then on July 4, the gangsters arrested were Tarwinder Singh Tally, Jugraj Singh, Palwinder Singh Pinda and Lawrence Bishnoi of Dutarawali village of Fazilka district. On July 6, the police had arrested gangsters Sukhwinder Singh ‘Bhau’, Sukhi Bidhipuria and Fateh Singh, after a two-hour encounter in the city.
The trio had confessed to having committed the crime on June 27, but with the motive to loot Innova and without knowing that the DSP (Jails) was in the vehicle.
EOM
