Chandigarh, July 7
Notorious gangster Prabhjinder Singh ‘Dimpy’ was tonight shot dead by miscreants, after being allegedly hounded from the Sukhna Lake Club to Sector 8 here.

Police sources said the incident took place around 8.55 pm when he was going with his “friend” Harneev Kaur to the latter’s house in Sector 8 after having dinner at the club.

As the duo drove down in a blue Swift car, two miscreants on a two-wheeler, rode right next to the car and opened fire.

While 40-year-old Dimpy received several bullet injuries in the belly and chest, 28-year-old Harneev Kaur received injuries on the right hand, chin and torso.

She, however, managed to drive the car to her house and call the police.

Dimpy was taken to the General Hospital, Sector 16, by the police, where he was declared brought dead. Harneev is stated to be in serious condition.

Incidentally, today Dimpy was unescorted, which was unusual for him as he was accompanied by around 20 armed men at all times.

The sources said the killing was an apparent handiwork of some rival gang from Uttar Pradesh, as it was his chief area of operation.

They said they would reconstruct the sequence of events and corroborate it with the preliminary statement of Harneev, who is alleged to have called him outside the club, alone.

However, SSP Gaurav Yadav said it was premature to say anything at this stage. “We are working on several theories and special investigating teams have been constituted to look out for the assailants,” he added.

Sources also said some persons have been rounded up. Known for his political clout, Dimpy had various criminal cases registered against him in different states. He had been discharged in some cases and had succeeded in securing bail in others.

Dimpy belonged to a landlord family of Chand Bhan village in Faridkot district.

He entered the world of crime around 1985 when his name was associated with the murder of the then student leader of Panjab University, Chandigarh, Makhan Singh.

Having a large landholding, Dimpy, the only son of a widowed mother, expanded his contacts in the world of crime and politics.

Though his name did not surface prominently during terrorism in Punjab, he associated himself with various criminal gangs, whose heads went on to become MLA and MPs.

After joining big gangs based in Uttar Pradesh, he took to contract killing, kidnapping and looting.

He allegedly used to act as a henchman for a section of politicians in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana.

Dimpy had been roaming scot free in Haryana for the past few years, allegedly because of his close ties with the top brass in the previous government.

Dimpy was released on bail by a Lucknow court recently and had come to his native place in Faridkot district on May 22.

On his return, Dimpy was welcomed by 500 cars that had been lined up on both sides of the Bathinda-Kotkapura road.