From bootlegging, drug trafficking to property grabbing, Gagandeep Gaggi did all

Nitin Jain
Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, December 27

From bootlegging and drug trafficking to property grabbing, the main suspect in the high-intensity bomb blast at the District Courts Complex here on December 23 that had left him dead and injured six others, was doing all illegal acts all through his service in the Punjab Police, the neighbours have claimed.

Residents of the Guru Teg Bahadur locality in Khanna, where Gagandeep Singh, alias Gaggi, a dismissed policeman, killed in the explosion that led to terror across the state, said they have heaved a sigh of relief after facing ordeal for over a decade, since when they were witness to what all they called as “illegal acts” of the then “man in uniform”.

“Cars loaded with illicit liquor boxes used to unload at his house in the dead of night,” an octogenarian Sucha Singh recalled. Another neighbour Gurdial Singh said the open sale and purchase of drugs also used to go unabated under the influence of the cop.

“He used to get properties vacated after getting forged documents and under the garb of his uniform,” shared Kuldeep Kaur, who claimed to be a witness of the dismissed policeman’s property grab acts.

The residents said they used to live under fear and threat as Gaggi and his family used to threaten them with dire consequences if they dared to raise their voice against their “illegal acts”.

“Drug addicts and persons in inebriated state used to roam around and create nuisance in the locality day and night but we could not object to any such activity due to the fear of the policeman,” alleged the neighbours.

They also accused Gaggi’s other family members of also being “hand in glove” in the illegal activities, with the help of which, they said, the family accumulated much wealth.

“From a two-room accommodation, they built a palatial house and their rising wealth from illegal acts was evident from their exorbitant spending and affluent lifestyle,” revealed the area residents.

Meanwhile, ongoing investigations into the terror strike have hinted handiwork of narco-terrorism with an aim to disturb peace in the state, targeting the judiciary in particular.

“The manner in which Gaggi reached the courts complex here after leaving his scooter in Khanna itself has only strengthened the suspicion of involvement of more persons in the explosion,” senior officers monitoring the probe told The Tribune.

The investigators were also in the process to trace the source of explosive and other material used in the blast.

“His links within and outside the Police Department and jail inmates, with whom he remained in touch during his two-year stay behind bars at the Ludhiana jail and after his bail in September, were also being examined,” they maintained. DGP Siddharth Chattopadhyaya has already hinted at the Pakistan-based pro-Khalistan connection behind the terror act.

“Preliminary investigations suggest that Gaggi could have developed links with pro-Khalistan elements in the jail, who have used him to target the court premises with an intention to disturb peace in the state,” the state police chief has said.

Female connections under scanner

Besides interrogating jail inmates and other links, female connections of Gaggi were also under scanner. “He was believed to be having links with several women inside and outside the department, which has also been corroborated by his wife,” the investigators revealed.

Blast material unknown

A post-blast investigation team of the NSG from New Delhi and forensic experts from the state police were yet to ascertain the cause and nature of the explosion. However, the preliminary investigation has established that a “high-intensity” explosive was used in the improvised explosive device (IED) following the recovery of aluminium particles and plastic shrapnel from the body of the deceased.

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