Ludhiana, May 21
Three hardcore criminals, including Paramjit Singh Pamma, one of Punjab Police’s most wanted criminals accused of committing more than 50 different crimes, was killed in an encounter with a joint police team of Ludhiana CIA, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh near Lalta Ro bridge, Hardwar late last night.

The other two alleged criminals shot dead in the encounter were Mahavir of Hisar and Rajesh Kumar of Hardwar. They were on the run since May 5 after robbing a money exchanger of Rs 18 lakh in Muradpura Colony, Ludhiana, and had also seriously wounded three persons of the family.

Three policemen Nitish Chauhan of SOG Hardwar, Jagvir Singh and Satish Kumar of special operation group, Delhi, were injured in the encounter. The eight-member Ludhiana police team was led by SI Gurbans Singh Bains.

Paramjit Singh Pamma was the leader of a 16-member gang of criminals who had become a headache for the police of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. He was a proclaimed offender of the Jalandhar police.

The Ludhiana police had nabbed seven members of the gang last Sunday. Pamma and others had managed to escape at that time. The police was on their trail and was conducting raids all over north India.

Mr I.R.K. Jaiswal, SP (City) and Mr Gurpreet Singh, SP (Detective), said the Ludhiana police had got specific information that they were hiding in Hardwar and were moving in a Ford Ikon car. They had abandoned the Santro car used in the Rs 18 lakh robbery.