Day after Shiv Sena leader’s murder in Moga, 3 nabbed

A day after Shiv Sena district chief Mangat Ram Manga was shot dead in Moga, the police claimed to have solved the case by arresting three persons after a shootout in Malout, Muktsar.

Manga was attacked around 10 pm on Thursday when he was buying milk near Gill Palace. Three armed men opened fire. While he had a close shave, an 11-year-old boy was injured. Manga tired to flee, but was chased down and shot dead.

During the investigation, the police found a video on Instagram where three youths claimed responsibility for the murder. One of them, Arun alias Singha, had seven criminal cases registered against him across Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. The other two, Arun, alias Deepu of Angadpura Mohalla, and Rajvir Singh, alias Lafu of Vedant Nagar, Moga, also had multiple criminal records.

With technical assistance and human intelligence, a joint team of the CIA, Moga and Malout units, tracked the suspects to the Malout bus stand on Friday night. As the police approached, the accused opened fire, prompting retaliatory action. In the exchange of fire, all three suspects sustained injuries and were taken to the Civil Hospital, Malout. Two pistols and a motorcycle were recovered from them.

The police believed that Manga’s murder and the attack on Davinder Kumar, alias Sahil, a salon owner, in Moga on Thursday evening were linked to a personal enmity between rival groups. The police said efforts were on to arrest the other persons involved in the case, including Sikander, Virender, Jagga, Sahil Kumar, alias Lambi, Arun Singla, and Shankar, alias Rajput, alias Sahi.