Key shooter, one other arrested in shootout at liquor baron Singla’s Chandigarh residence
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, June 19
Punjab police on Friday arrested the key shooter involved in the firing at the Chandigarh residence of liquor baron Arvind Singla on May 31, a press release said.
Nitin Nahar, a resident of Indra Colony, Jhabal Road, Amritsar, was apprehended from near Colour Resorts, Attari Road, Amritsar, along with his associate Bikramjit Singh, who had provided him with a safe hideout.
The arrests came during an Intelligence-led operation by a joint team of Amritsar (Rural) Police and the Organized Crime Control Unit (OCCU), said a police spokesperson.
The initial investigations revealed that Nitin was a close associate of Bobby Malhotra, a gangster currently lodged in Ferozepur Jail and further associated with the Lawrance Bishnoi group, who had ordered the attack at the Sector-33 house of Arvind Singla.
The arrested accused have disclosed that they had been tasked to carry out such incidents in Punjab, Chandigarh and Rajasthan as well by Lawrance Bishnoi.
A .32 calibre pistol, along with 40 live cartridges, one .315 calibre Pistol along with 10 live cartridges used in the crime have been recovered from Nitin’s possession.
Nitin was already wanted in three other firing incidents of Amritsar, including at his rival group members, Vipin Kumar (in January 2020) and Love Kumar (in February 2020), and on the complainant of his old case at Jhabal road, Amritsar in April this year, the press release further stated.
During his interrogation, Nitin Nahar revealed that on May 31, he had been directed by Bobby Malhotra to carry out the attack, for which a black Audi was sent by Lawrance Bishnoi to pick him up from Ludhiana and drop him at the outskirts of Chandigarh. He was subsequently picked up in a silver Ford Ikon by the other accused involved in the firing incident. They all then went together to Sector-33 and fired at the house of the businessman.
After the shooting incident, Nitin was dropped off at Kharar by the other co-accused and from there he was dropped at the safe hideout in Amritsar in a white Bolero car on the directions of Bobby Malhotra.
A case under Sections 392, 395, 386, 384, 25, 54, 59 of the Arms Act & Sections 121, 121A, 120B, of the IPC was registered against the accused.
