Gangster who killed warden and escaped is back behind the bars

A notorious gangster who was arrested on November 25 after an encounter with the police in Zirakpur and escaped on December 6 after killing the jail warden in Patiala was captured by the Mohali district police again on Tuesday evening.

Arrest, escape, re-arrest-all in 20 days

A notorious gangster who was arrested on November 25 after an encounter with the police in Zirakpur and escaped on December 6 after killing the jail warden in Patiala was captured by the Mohali district police again on Tuesday evening. Ravinder Singh alias Chhanga was arrested with two of his accomplices — Gurvinder Singh alias Pavittar Singh and Gurjit Singh alias Gaggi. The two were allegedly accompanying Chhanga in Zirakpur on November 25, but they had managed to escape the encounter.

The Mohali police claimed that they had foiled Chhanga’s bid to reorganise his scattered gang. At a press conference, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jatinder Singh Aulakh said three sophisticated pistols with 15 live cartridges were recovered from the gangsters who were arrested from Karoran village near Chandigarh.

They were moving in the same Mahindra Scorpio jeep that was used in the murder of Patiala jail warden Raghbeer Singh, the SSP said. The weapons seized included a .12 bore pistol, a Mouser and a 3×3 pistol. Chhanga’s brother Jatinder Singh, who had also escaped the Zirakpur encounter, is still on the run.

Narrating the events that took place during the 20 days between Chhanga’s arrest and re-arrest, Aulakh said the gangster had sustained injuries during the encounter in Zirakpur and was admitted in the Government Rajindera Hospital in Patiala. A local court had sent him in judicial remand. “During his hospital stay, his on-the-run accomplices Pavittar and Gaggi managed to meet Chhanga and they planned his escape from the judicial custody,” said Aulakh. The SSP said as Pavittar and Gaggi were taking away Chhanga from the hospital in their Scorpio, jail warden Raghbeer Singh intercepted them by coming in front of the vehicle. The gangsters ran over him and sped away, Aulakh said. From Patiala, the gangsters had used a fake registration number on the Scorpio, which they were driving with the original Haryana registration number on Tuesday, he added.

According to preliminary investigations, the arrest in Zirakpur was the first in Chhanga’s long career in crime, during which he was declared proclaimed offender in several cases. The charges against him include attempt to murder, narcotics, heists and other heinous crimes. Within 10 days of his arrest, Chhanga managed his escape. According to the SSP, Chhanga was planning more sensational strikes.

The Patiala police will also seek the custody of Chhanga and his accomplices in the case of murder, escape from custody and criminal conspiracy lodged against them on December 6.