Targeted killings: Guns seized from gangster’s gas station in Ludhiana

Nikhil Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, November 17

A raid conducted by the Moga police at the petrol pump owned by gangster Dharminder Singh, alias Gugni, led to the recovery of several illegal firearms. The police have rounded up the manager of the petrol pump for alleged links with the gangster.

Senior police officials of the Ludhiana Commissionerate are mum about the development. Even the Moga police are tight-lipped. The petrol pump has been locked.

Sources in the police confirmed that the Moga police had conducted a raid at the petrol pump located on the Shingar Cinema road on November 15. Senior officers of the Moga police conducted the raid. They thoroughly searched the petrol pump.

“The Moga police rounded up the manager of the petrol pump and took him along. Several weapons, reportedly illegally ones, were recovered from the pump. The police also questioned the petrol pump staff,” said a senior police official of Ludhiana.

Gugni is among the accused nabbed by the Punjab police in cases relating to seven killings of RSS and Hindu leaders in Punjab. Gugni was charged with supplying weapons to the operatives of the Khalistan Liberation Force and the ISI. Despite being lodged in the high-security Nabha jail, Gugni was supplying weapons to the assailants, a police official said.

Meanwhile, the Ludhiana police today produced one of the five accused, Jimmy Singh, before the court which extended his police custody by a day. The police are mum about the ongoing interrogation of Jimmy. Sources also said a UK NRI, Jagtar Singh Johal, could also be brought here for interrogation by the city police in a day or two.

NIA team meets Dhoke

A team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday visited the city and held a closed-door meeting with Police Commissioner RN Dhoke.

Sources said the NIA team discussed the killing of RSS worker Ravinder Gosain. Since the nabbed accused in the cases of seven killings have foreign links or are being supported by handlers in Pakistan and other European countries, the NIA will lead the probe to reach the masterminds behind the killings who are hiding in foreign lands. 

An NIA official, when asked about the purpose of their visit, refused to talk.