ACP, his gunman die as SUVs collide head-on near Samrala

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, April 6

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Ludhiana (East), Sandeep Singh (35), and his gunman Paramjot Singh (35) died while the driver suffered serious injuries after the SUV they were travelling in collided head-on with another vehicle (Mahindra Scorpio) on the flyover at Dayalpura near Samrala on the Ludhiana-Chandigarh highway on Friday night.

At the spot where the accident occurred, farmers had blocked one side of the four-lane highway to protest against the setting up of a biogas plant.

After the collision, the ACP’s SUV rammed into the divider and caught fire. The injured were taken to the Samrala Civil Hospital by passersby. The ACP and his gunman were “brought dead”, said Dr Manpreet Kaur. Driver Head Constable Gurpreet Singh, who is critical, has been referred to a hospital in Ludhiana.

Samrala DSP Tarlochan Singh said the incident occurred around 12.30 am when the ACP was travelling from Chandigarh to Ludhiana.

The DSP said by the time police reached the spot, occupants of the Scorpio had fled. “Efforts are on to trace them and the Scorpio has been impounded,” he said.

A case has been registered against the unknown driver of the Mahindra Scorpio.

Denying reports that the injured policemen were charred to death, Khanna SSP Amneet Kondal said the ACP’s SUV caught fire minutes after the injured were taken out from it.

“We have identified the driver of the Scorpio and police parties are conducting raids to nab the accused. The vehicle reportedly belongs to some Amritsar-based man, but was being driven by someone else,” he added.

Sources said two persons travelling in the Scorpio were also injured in the accident and the police were checking hospitals to get a clue.

A 2016-batch PPS officer Sandeep Singh was a native of Bathinda and was living with his wife and a son at Chandigarh. Before getting transferred to Ludhiana, Sandeep was posted in Bathinda. He had also served as the ACP (Traffic) Ludhiana in 2019. Gunman Paramjot Singh, a native of Ferozepur, is survived by his wife and a three-year-old son.

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