Interstate criminals and gangsters find a safe haven in Chandigarh’s hotels, flats and hostels

There are also incidents of criminals, wanted by the police of neighbouring states, having committed crimes in Chandigarh. The crimes included carjacking, supply of weapons, firing and extorting money from locals.

Chandigarh safe haven for interstate criminals, criminals and gangsters find a safe haven in Chandigarh, Gangsters of Punjab, Punjab News, Chandigarh News, Indian Express News

Gangster Bhola and Perry in police custody at Sector 49 police station of Chandigarh. (Express Photo)

CHANDIGARH HAS emerged as a safe haven for interstate criminals. Congested paying guest accommodations, flats in housing societies and even Panjab University hostel rooms have turned into hideouts for the criminals. Preliminary interrogation of gangster Bharat Bhushan, alias Bhola shooter, and Inderjeet Singh Perry revealed that they along with Sampat Nehra and Deepak, alias Tinu, who escaped from Panchkula police custody on June 17, were sharing a rented accommodation at Housing Board Society in Sector 63 for the last one month. Bhola, Sampat and Deepak went to Kotakpura to kill Lovi Deora on July 13 and after committing the crime, they came back to Chandigarh. Bhola and Perry were arrested near Sector 63 on July 26.

Three gangsters of Punjab – Harwinder Singh Rinda, Harjinder Singh Akash and Dilpreet – wanted in three cases of murder in Ropar, took shelter in Panjab University (PU) and injured three PU students in firing in October 2016. One of the gangsters, Rinda, had also threatened a former station house officer of Chandigarh police during his stay at PU. Rinda even sat on dharna along with members of one of the student organisations at PU.

Later, these gangsters gunned down a village sarpanch, Satnam Singh, outside a gurdwara in Sector 38 in April this year. Senior Superintendent of Police, Chandigarh, Eish Singhal, who is also a member of the interstate crime coordination committee, said, “Indeed, Chandigarh has become the centre point of gangsters especially for hiding. There are several factors behind it. Factors, including the study of some of the gangsters in Chandigarh, criminal cases pending in district courts. The recent verification drive to check suspected persons in Chandigarh is one of the steps taken to catch these criminals.”

A police source said Kotakpura gangster, Deora, who was gunned down on July 13, had been a close friend of Bhola, member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Bishnoi, Sampat and Perry used to study together at DAV College, Sector 10, and had also been active members of the Student Organisation of Panjab University (SOPU) in the past. Police teams from Kotakpura, Panchkula and Mohali have approached Chandigarh police and quizzed Bhola and Perry at Sector 49 police station on July 28.

There are also incidents of criminals, wanted by the police of neighbouring states, having committed crimes in Chandigarh. The crimes included carjacking, supply of weapons, firing and extorting money from locals. In December 2011, a wanted criminal, Ranjit Singh, alias Dupla, who was running an international racket in arms smuggling, was arrested near Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh.

Later, Dupla was also taken into police custody by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for supplying weapons to Punjab-based criminals and Naxalites. In December 2012, Jaspreet Singh alias Jassa, prime accused in the sensational killing of Malkit Singh Kittu, a former Akali Dal MLA from Barnala, was involved in a firing at the light point of sectors 22 and 23. Harwinder Singh Rinda, wanted by Punjab police and Mumbai police in connection with a number of murder cases, opened firing at PU in October 2016.

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