Mastermind in Himachal Pradesh’s Bilaspur firing case arrested

PTI

Bilaspur (HP), June 27

The mastermind in the Bilaspur firing case, who is the elder son of former Congress MLA from Bilaspur Assembly constituency Bamber Thakur, was arrested on Thursday, police said.

Puranjan Thakur alias Golu was evading arrest and had applied for anticipatory bail in the court which directed him to surrender before considering his bail application. He was arrested before he could surrender in the Bilaspur court.

On June 20, two persons came in a motorbike and one of them opened fire on an undertrial Saurabh Patyal.

Patyal is one of the 13 accused who are currently facing a trial over an alleged attack on Puranjan's father Bamber Thakur on February 23.

The 34-year-old shooter, Sunny Gill, a native of Ludhiana in Punjab, was arrested the same day. His accomplice Anmol Sharma alias Gaurav Nadda, who had managed to flee, was arrested later. It was Sharma who harboured Gill at his home before the attack.

Police investigation had revealed that the shooter for the court attack was hired by Puranjan Thakur, apparently to avenge an attack on his father. The call detail record from the mobile of the accused Gill further confirmed that Puranjan Thakur was in contact with Gill.

Puranjan Thakur had promised Gill Rs 5 lakh and a job for the killing, the police said. The shooter had fired two bullets in broad daylight and one bullet pierced into the back of Patyal who was immediately rushed to the hospital.

A case under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and section 25 of the Arms Act was registered by the police. So far the police have arrested three out of four accused while Sandy, who introduced Gill to Puranjan Thakur, is still absconding.

In a statement, Bamber Thakur claimed his son was being falsely implicated due to an old rivalry with a senior IPS officer.

On June 22, the state unit of the BJP had taken out a massive rally in Bilaspur against the firing incident and accused the Congress government of protecting the guilty and allegedly sheltering the mafia.

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