Accused tries to strangle cop with seatbelt, shot in leg: Police

In a statement, the SMC said Ashok Punaram Panwar alias Bishnoi was seated in a Mahindra Scorpio SUV, while two other suspects were being transported in a second vehicle. “When the vehicle reached Sevaniya village, Panwar caught hold of the driver’s seatbelt, wrapped it around the neck of PSI K D Raviya who was driving the vehicle, and attempted to strangle the officer,” the statement said.

It added, “To make him stop, adequate force was used and Panwar was commanded to stop. However, he continued pulling on the seatbelt and increased the pressure, after which PI R G Khant drew his service weapon and shot the accused in his right leg, bringing the situation under control.”

Panwar, identified as the alleged leader of a gang, has 27 cases registered against him and had been absconding in seven cases over the past year. Earlier, the Director General of Police had announced a reward of Rs 25,000 for information leading to his arrest.

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Deputy Inspector General of Police Nirlipt Rai said the accused had been traced through a mobile phone ping in Guwahati. “Ashok Punaram Panwar Bishnoi is a wanted accused and several teams were looking for him. We received a ping on his phone number from Guwahati in Assam and dispatched a team of sub-inspectors V N Jadeja and K D Raviya,” Rai said.

“They found him hiding under a false name at Hotel Palacio under Dispur police station jurisdiction and apprehended him. He was not cooperating with the arresting team, so another team under PI R G Khant was sent, which met the first team near Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh. They then transported the accused together,” he said.

Rai claimed that when the convoy entered the jurisdiction of Limdi police station in Dahod, the accused suddenly pulled the seatbelt of PSI Raviya, attempting to assault him. “PI Khant, who was seated in the front passenger seat, first tried to stop him and when the accused did not stop, fired his service revolver at his leg and injured him,” he said.

Both Panwar and PSI Raviya were taken to a community health centre for primary treatment, after which Panwar was shifted to Zydus Hospital in Dahod for further treatment.

On December 31, Panwar was booked in a fresh case of attempt to murder at the SMC police station in Gandhinagar, based on a complaint filed by PSI Raviya on behalf of the State. DIG Rai confirmed that the SMC would investigate the case instead of the local police in Dahod.

“I have lost two of my fellow officers, sub-inspectors, in the fight against this Bishnoi gang over the last two years. PSI Sachin Sharma lost his life to a heart attack in a scuffle with this gang, while PSI J H Pathan lost his life in an accident while trying to apprehend this gang,” Rai said.

On Panwar’s background, Rai said, “He is a very notorious person and leader of the gang that was trafficking illicit and fake liquor from Goa to Gujarat. He has been booked under GUJCTOC by the SMC. There are a total of 11 accused named in the GUJCTOC case, of which we have apprehended eight persons, including the gang leader. The man running the fake liquor distillery in Goa, Bipin Arora, has also earlier been caught by the SMC.”