Lakha, who gave shelter to Gounder, goes into ‘hiding’

Raj Sadosh

Abohar, February 4

Lakhwinder Singh Lakha (29), who was arrested by the Sriganganagar police last week for allegedly sheltering gangsters Vicky Gounder, Prema Lahoria and their aide Sarwinder Singh, did not return to his house after he was released on bail on Wednesday.

Lakha was arrested under Sections 212, 216 and 216A of the IPC. He was produced in a court in Sriganganagar which accepted his plea for release on bail.

He had reportedly told the SIT headed by ASP Surinder Singh Rathore that a friend in Abohar had requested him to let his friends stay for 2-3 days without revealing anything about them.

The Rajasthan policemen, who are guarding the house located in Dhani Iqbal Singh near Pakki village on Abohar-Hindumalkot road, have reportedly been told not to allow outsiders to move towards the house. They are noting down the registration number of vehicles that approach the ‘naka’ laid 2 km away on the approach road.

Inquiries from villagers indicated that Lakha’s wife and child had gone to her parents’ house few weeks back as she was to give birth to a second child. His father had also been away from the Dhani before the day of encounter (January 26).

At present, only Lakha’s mother and sister are staying in the house.

Lakha was reportedly in hiding after his release on bail. He may have joined his family at his in-laws’ place, but no one here has been able to contact him for the past few days.

The district administration hasn’t been approached by the families of slain gangsters to record their statements. Some of them had reportedly contacted lawyers in the district court to apply for copies of documents related to the encounter, sources said.