Godara produced in court in Manna case

Tribune News Service
Muktsar, December 28

After a notorious criminal, Rohit Godara, was brought on production warrant from Churu jail in Rajasthan, the police produced him in a Malout court, which sent him to six-day police custody. He was brought amid tight security arrangements.

Godara, 28, whose name figures in the list of top criminals prepared by the Bikaner police, was brought in connection with history-sheeter Manpreet Singh, alias Manna’s, murder. His name reportedly figures in 14 cases, including those of murder, robbery and loot in Sriganganagar, Churu and Bikaner districts. He along with some others was booked in October for allegedly killing a BJP leader in Sardarshahar (Rajasthan). He was arrested on December 6 by Punjab Police from his friend’s house in Fazilka district.

In Manna case, gangster Lawrence Bishnoi is already in police custody. Rajbachan Singh Sandhu, SSP, Muktsar, said, “Godara is also a gangster, brought in connection with Manna’s murder. During the interrogation, Lawrence revealed his name. Now, we have got his six-day remand for questioning. Both Lawrence and Rohit will be kept at different locations.”

Asked whether the police would seek further remand of Lawrence, the SSP said, “It depends on the questioning of Godara.”

Meanwhile, sources in the police said they were close to cracking the Manna murder case. Notably, just about two hours after 37-year-old Manna’s murder outside a gym in a shopping mall complex in Malout on December 2, a Facebook post was published from a page in the name of Lawrence Bishnoi, claiming that the murder was handiwork of gangster Raju Bhisodi of Lawrence’s gang because Manna had turned “police informer for the encounter of gangster Ankit Bhadu”.

Thereafter, a special investigation team had visited Bharatpur Central Jail, questioned Lawrence there. Besides, an Akali leader’s son and a councillor of Malout town too were questioned as the deceased’s family had raised doubts regarding them.