Criminal loses hand in rival gang attack

Police said a hardcore criminal, who was recently released after undergoing detention under the Public Safety Act, lost a hand in an alleged attack by members of a rival group here.

Kulbir Bhagat alias Rinku (27), a resident of Langotian village, was attacked by unidentified assailants armed with sharp-edged weapons in the Miran Sahib area on the outskirts of Jammu during the intervening night of November 10 and 11, they said.

Rinku sustained grievous injuries in the assault, with one of his hands severed, a police spokesperson said, adding that he was immediately shifted to the Government Medical College (GMC) Hospital for treatment.

The Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team collected scientific evidence from the scene, and preliminary investigation points towards assault by members of a rival group, the police said.

Rinku is also a hardcore criminal who was detained under the stringent Public Safety Act in 2024, and he was released from jail only a few months ago, the spokesperson said.

"He was also wanted as one of the main accused in a couple of assault cases in the jurisdiction of RS Pura police station and one case in Arnia police station," he added.

The police said a case has been registered under the relevant provisions of the law, and further investigation is underway to identify and apprehend the accused.