In a major breakthrough amidst the ongoing drive against organised crime launched on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Anti-Gangster Task Force Punjab (AGTF) Punjab in a joint operation with SAS Nagar Police has apprehended an associate of Lawrance Bishnoi and Goldy Brar gang in connection with the firing incident at IELTS/Immigration Centre in Dera Bassi, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Saturday.
The arrested accused has been identified as Mehfuj alias Vishal Khan, a resident of Dera Bassi. Police teams have also recovered one .32 calibre pistol along with five cartridges from his possession.
DGP Gaurav Yadav said that the arrested accused, along with another member of Lawrance Bishnoi and Goldy Brar gang identified as Manjeet alias Guri currently lodged in Tihar Jail, were the masterminds behind the firing incident at an IELTS/Immigration Centre in Dera Bassi.
As per the information, on September 19, 2024, two motorcycle borne youth, in a broad day light, had opened fire outside the IELTS/Immigration Centre in Dera Bassi to demand extortion from the owner.
The DGP said that the all the other accused persons involved in the incident including Jagdeep Jagga, Mohit Kumar alias Banti, Anmol, Gurkirat Singh Bedi, Nishant Kumar alias Nikku Rana have been arrested, whereas, Mehfuj alias Vishal Khan had been absconding.
Sharing operational details, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) AGTF Promod Ban said that an information based on human intelligence was received about possible hideouts and locations of accused Vishal Khan.
Acting swiftly, special teams of AGTF under the supervision of AIG Gurmeet Chauhan in coordination with SSP SAS Nagar Deepak Pareek were formed, said the ADGP, while adding that the teams zeroed in on the possible hideouts/locations and successfully arrested him from Punjab-Haryana border near Barwala and also recovered a pistol from his possession.
AIG AGTF Gurmeet Chauhan said that the arrested accused has a previous criminal history and, ever since 2023, he has been working on the directions of foreign-based terrorist Goldy Brar. Arrested accused has also collected a weapons consignment from the notorious gangster Joginder alias Joga of Haryana, who had provided weapons and logistical assistance to accused involved in the Sidhu Moosewala murder case and later, was also arrested, he added.
The AIG said that Manjeet Guri was earlier got injured in police action in November 2023, when he was directed by Goldy Brar to execute murder of some businessmen in Zirakpur. SSP Deepak Pareek further said that preliminary investigations have revealed that the arrested accused was planning to commit a crime in the tricity.
Further investigation is ongoing to establish forward and backward linkages in this case, he added. A case FIR No 292 dated 19.09.2024 had already been registered under sections 111, 109, 308(5), 32(b), 333, and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act at Police Station Dera Bassi in SAS Nagar.