Bishnoi gang member held for Dera Bassi firing

The Anti-Gangster Task Force Punjab (AGTF) in a joint operation with Mohali police apprehended a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar gang in connection with the firing incident at IELTS/Immigration Centre in Dera Bassi.

Sharing further information, Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav said the arrested accused has been identified as Mehfuj alias Vishal Khan, a resident of Dera Bassi. The police have also recovered a .32 calibre pistol and five cartridges from his possession.

The accused, along with another member of Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar gang identified as Manjeet alias Guri, currently lodged in Tihar Jail, were the masterminds behind the firing incident at an IELTS/Immigration Centre in Dera Bassi.

According to the information, on September 19, 2024, two bike-borne youth, had in a broad day light opened fire outside the IELTS/Immigration Centre in Dera Bassi in a bid to extort money from the owner.

The DGP further said all the other accused involved in the incident including Jagdeep Jagga, Mohit Kumar alias Banti, Anmol, Gurkirat Singh Bedi, Nishant Kumar alias Nikku Rana have been arrested, whereas, Mehfuj alias Vishal Khan had been absconding.

A tip-off was received about the possible hideouts of Vishal, following which police teams zeroed in on his location and arrested him from the Punjab-Haryana border near Barwala.

The arrested accused reportedly has a previous criminal history and, has been working on the directions of foreign-based terrorist Goldy Brar since 2023. He has also collected a weapons consignment from the notorious gangster Joginder alias Joga of Haryana, who had provided weapons and logistical assistance to accused involved in the Sidhu Moosewala murder case and also later arrested.

The AIG, meanwhile, said that Manjeet Guri had earlier got injured in police action in November 2023, when he was directed by Goldy Brar to execute the murder of some businessmen in Zirakpur.

Preliminary investigations have revealed that the arrested accused was planning to commit a crime in the tricity.

A case had already been registered under sections 111, 109, 308(5), 32(b), 333, and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act at the Dera Bassi police station.