Gangster was at PGI for 2 days in Jan too

Tribune News Service

Mohali, July 12

In what can be termed a big failure of the local police intelligence, ganster Dilpreet Singh Baba was admitted to the PGI for at least two days due to drug overdose in January also. 

Fresh investigations by the Punjab State Special Operation Cell have revealed that Baba fell unconscious in front of Rupinder Kaur’s house at Sector 38, Chandigarh, due to drug overdose in January this year. Neighbours saw him lying on the road following which he was shifted to the PGI. “Baba was admitted there in the name of Gagandeep Singh (Rupinder Kaur’s separated husband) and got treatment for at least two days. This is a big failure on the part of the local police intelligence as a wanted criminal was admitted there and his acquaintances were so confident that they took him to the PGI for treatment,” said a senior official of the Punjab Police. 

The investigations further revealed that after the incident in which Punjab singer Parmish Verma was shot at on the intervening night of April 13 and 14, Baba remained elusive for just two days. “He returned to Rupinder Kaur’s house on the third day of the incident,” said DSP Tajinder Singh (State Special Operation Cell). 

Interestingly, while the Mohali police were busy conducting raids in various parts of Punjab and other states, including Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, after claiming to have information about his presence there, Baba was staying in Chandigarh. 

“Parmish Verma’s incident was his latest crime. He had been remaining silent after that,” said the police.  Rupinder Kaur was also admitted to a hospital in Chandigarh after being allegedly beaten up by Baba under the influence of drugs, said the police, adding that he also used to beat up Harpreet Kaur at her house in Nawanshahr. 

Baba got scared after Gounder encounder

After notorious gangster Vicky Gounder’s encounter in the last week of January this year, Baba got scared and feared for his life. This was revealed by Rupinder Kaur during her interrogation. She told the police that after Gounder’s encounter, he used to say that he would be the next target. The police claimed that he had also started contacting some official of the Ropar police to float the idea of his surrender. “However, he again went underground. Baba was confident that nobody would identify him as he had changed his looks by trimming his hair and beard,” said the police. He also got tips from some experts about the different ways of making mobile phone calls that could not be detected by the police. 

Don’t kill me, Baba begged cops

“Baba used to project himself as a daring and brave gangster, but when our officer fired a shot in his leg, he started pleading in horror, ‘mainu na mariyo, mainu na mariyo (please don’t kill me)’ after throwing his pistol,” said DSP Tajinder Singh. The DSP said Baba was under the influence of “chitta” when he was seen coming from the District Courts side in a white Swift Dzire car at a slow speed. He said their (Punjab State Special Operation Cell) first team, led by an inspector, signalled him to stop, but he ignored it and increased the speed of his car. Then, a team of the Chandigarh Police, which was stationed a few metres ahead of the first team, started following his car. The third team of the Punjab Police blocked his car and smashed his Swift Dzire’s windscreen with a brick. Baba tried to reverse his car, but it was smashed by a Fortuner of an official of the Chandigarh Police. Brandishing a pistol, Baba came out of the car and fired two shots into the air, but when police officials retaliated and fired a shot in his leg, he immediately dropped his pistol and started begging them not to kill him. “Later, at the hospital, Baba thanked an inspector repeatedly for sparing his life,” said the DSP.

The police said Baba used to take shelter in some places in Ropar and Haryana. “We will soon conduct raids at his hideouts there,” said the police.