3 members of Ashish Chopra gang held in double murder case in Punjab 

Three criminals associated with the Ashish Chopra gang have been arrested in connection with a double murder case in Punjab, police said on Sunday.

Manpreet Singh, alias Mannu, and Ramandeep Singh, both residents of Ferozepur, and Sonu, a resident of Faridkot, are those arrested, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said.

They were allegedly involved in the murders of Rishabh and Shalu due to gang rivalry between the Nata gang and Ashish Chopra gang, the DGP said, adding that three pistols along with seven live cartridges and four shells were recovered from their possession.

Yadav said the arrests has also led to the cracking of another murder case, in which a person identified as Yotham was killed, with Manpreet Mannu being the main shooter in the case.

Further investigation is under way to identify other associates of this gang and establish backward and forward linkages, he added.

Sharing details of the operation, Additional Director General of Police, Anti-Gangster Task Force Promod Ban said acting on specific intelligence, police raided the hideout of Ramandeep Singh and Sonu in village Gulabe Wala in Sri Muktsar Sahib.

The accused attempted to flee and opened fire at the police party but were apprehended after a chase, he said.

The ADGP said in a separate operation, Mannu was intercepted in Ferozepur, where he opened fire at the police team in a bid to escape.

In retaliatory fire, the accused sustained a bullet injury and was arrested, he said.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ferozepur Bhupinder Sigh said the accused have a criminal background and were involved in multiple heinous crimes, including the recent double murder case.