Notorious criminal among six members of organised crime syndicate nabbed

PK Jaiswar

Amritsar, July 12

With the arrest of six members of the gang led by a notorious criminal identified as Rahul, alias Raula, a resident of the Chhota Haripura locality, the police today claimed to have averted a possible gang war.

The police have recovered three pistols, including two .32 bore, procured from Indore in Madhya Pradesh and a country-made pistol along with 11 live cartridges from the gang.

Rahul has around 12 cases of snatchings, theft, dacoity, attempt to murder and prison offences registered against him in Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Ludhiana and Fatehgarh Sahib districts.

According to the police, after spending eight years in judicial custody, Rahul was released on bail from the Sangrur jail in May this year. After his release, he procured firearms from Indore and enlarged his gang by adding more criminal elements for committing robberies, dacoities and running gambling rackets.

Ranjit Singh Dhillon, Police Commissioner (CP), said Rahul had a rivalry with another notorious gangster identified as Gurinderpal Singh, aka Gora Bhau, who was brother-in-law of designated terrorist and foreign-based gangster Goldy Brar, the prime suspect in Sidhu Moosewala murder case. Bhau has 16 criminal cases of different nature registered against him in Hoshiarpur, Faridkot, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Special Cell at New Delhi, State Special Operation Cell, Mohali, and Patiala jail. He was currently lodged in the Bathinda jail.

“Rahul and Gora Bhau had a quarrel when they were together lodged in the Hoshiarpur jail in 2022. Rahul was booked by the police for the murder bid of Gora Bhau,” the CP said.

Besides Rahul, the police have arrested Karan, alias Tidda, of the Gate Hakima area, Sukhdeep, alias Gori, Abhay Sharma, Raghav Kumar of the Islamabad area and Ramesh, aka Arun, of Gate Hakima.

Tidda had two cases of snatching, dacoity and the Arms Act registered against him while Ramesh was booked for the offences under the POCSO Act. Raghav had a gambling case registered against him while Gori was frequently arrested as preventive measure.

A fresh case under Sections 111, 310 (4) and 310 (5) of the BNS and the Arms Act was registered against the gang at the Islamabad police station here.