3 members of Doaba gang held for Ludhiana murder

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, September 12

The Counter-Intelligence Wing of the state police on Tuesday arrested three contract killers in Ludhiana’s Rinkle murder case. With the arrest of the trio, the role of the Shera gang of Doaba in the murder has come to the fore.

The accused — Gurmeet Singh, alias Budhu Lohara (36), Manmeet Singh, alias Mani Falora (26), both of Lohara in Jalandhar, and Bhupinder Singh, alias Binda Jandaur (34), of Jandor in Hoshiarpur — were nabbed from Bhogpur on Tuesday. All three are the members of the Shera gang, headed by Sukhi Dhirowalia.

Ludhiana Congress councillor Gurdeep Singh Neetu’s son Jatinder Pal, alias Sunny, had masterminded the murder of BJP leader Jagdeep Singh, alias Rinkle Khera. The trio were the henchmen of gang head Dhirowalia, who was hired by Sunny to carry out the murder.

HPS Khakh, AIG, said, “The main perpetrator of the crime was Budhu, who was appointed by Dhirowalia to carry out the crime. We had been tracking Budhu for over a month. Sunny had disclosed that Doaba gangsters carried out the murder. On Tuesday, we received a tip-off that a white Lancer from Tanda, carrying five people involved in the crime, was on the way to Jalandhar. With the help of the rural police and Bhogpur SHO the Lancer was intercepted. Three persons were arrested, but two absconded. Dhirowalia and Monu Kaul are still absconding. They will be nabbed soon.” Another accused Manmeet Singh, alias Lambar, is also at large.

The AIG said two pistols of 9 mm and .32 bore along with 11 live cartridges and a Lancer car were seized from the spot. A Polo car, which was used in the Ludhiana murder, was recovered after the statement of Budhu.

As the gangsters were planning a robbery on Tuesday, another FIR was registered under Sections 399 and 402 (assembling for purpose of committing dacoity) of the IPC and Sections 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act against the trio.

Sunny and his accomplices were previously booked under Sections 302, 307, 452, 120-B, 148 and 148 of the IPC. Sunny had surrendered two days after the murder.