Gounder gang member hurt in cross firing with police

A member of the infamous Gounder gang was injured in an encounter with the police on Sunday in Jamsher area. The injured accused, Harpreet Singh, alias Peda, was in police custody. He had taken the officers for recovery of illegal weapons, where he attempted to escape by opening fire at them.

Commissioner of Police Swapan Sharma stated that Harpreet Singh was wanted in a case registered last month under the Arms Act at the Bhargo Camp. He said eight people had already been arrested in connection with the case and Singh was the main accused. “After an intense search, the police finally arrested Singh on January 15,” he said.

He added that following his interrogation, two more gang members — Yudhveer Singh and Karanpreet Singh — were arrested from near the service road of Verka Milk Plant. The police recovered a desi pistol (.315 bore), a .32 bore pistol, four cartridges and a Bolero car from their possession. “The duo admitted that their illegal weapons had been supplied by Harpreet Singh,” he said.

“On Sunday morning, police team took Singh to recover the additional weapons. During the recovery, he accessed a loaded weapon and opened fire on the officers. In retaliation, the police returned fire, injuring the accused. Two pistols, magazines and 100 grams of heroin were seized from his possession,” a police official said.

Singh is facing multiple criminal charges, including extortion, robbery, drug trafficking and attempted murder. Commissioner Swapan Sharma reiterated the police’s commitment to dismantling organised crime networks in the city, emphasising a zero-tolerance policy towards illegal activities.