11 gangsters having links with Lawrence Bishnoi, Harvinder Rinda land in Punjab Police net

Chandigarh, June 30

The Punjab Police today claimed to have busted an inter-state gang having links with gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and Pakistan-based terrorist Harvinder Rinda with the arrest of 11 members. Nine weapons and five looted vehicles were seized from them.

The ADGP of the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF), Promod Ban, told mediapersons here that the Jalandhar rural police, led by Swapan Sharma, carried out an operation to nab them.

Accused of murder, extortion

ADGP Promod Ban said the gang was active in several neighbouring states and had been involved in murder, extortion and drug smuggling

SSP (Rural) Swapan Sharma said, “With their arrest, the police have prevented at least seven murders, two police custody escapes and four armed robberies.”

Those arrested have been identified as Mohammad Yaseen Akhtar, alias Jaisy Purewal, of Nakodar, Jalandhar; Sagar Singh of Naya Shahar Badala in Mohali; Amar Malik of Samrala; Navi of Lohian; Ankush Sabharwal, alias Paya of Nakodar, Jalandhar; Sumit Jaswal, alias Kaku of Una (HP); Amandeep, alias Shooter, of Phillaur; Shiv Kumar, alias Shiva of Phillaur; Vishal, alias Fauji of Nakodar; Arun Kumar, alias Mani Rana, of Una and Annu, alias Pehalwan, of Kapurthala. All of them are history-sheeters. They are facing cases of heinous crimes.

ADGP Promod Ban and SSP, Jalandhar (Rural), Swapan Sharma, said the gang was active in several neighbouring states and had been involved in crimes, including murder, attempt to murder, armed dacoity, organised extortion and drug smuggling. “With their arrest, the police have prevented at least seven murders, two police custody escapes and four armed robberies,” they said.

As per preliminary investigations, the gang was being operated by Vikram Brar, an accomplice of Goldy Brar, on the directions of Harwinder Singh, alias Rinda. Brar, a native of Hanumangarh in Rajasthan and residing abroad, is wanted by the police of six states. He is a classmate of Bishnoi and active on the social media.

The SSP said Mohamad Yaseen Akhtar was missing for a year. An accomplice of Brar and Lawrence, he was involved in at least 16 “criminal activities”, he said.

He said another arrested person, Ankush Sabarwal, alias Paya, who had six criminal cases registered against him, was a student of Vikram Brar at an IELTS centre in Nakodar in 2014 and had been providing shelter and safe house to Saurav Mahakal of Maharashtra, who was arrested by the Pune police. Along with Mahakal, he committed three crimes in Punjab during Mahakal’s two-month stay in the state.

The SSP said Arun Kumar, alias Mani Rana, a jailed gangster, was operating at the behest of the Lawrence-Jaggu Bhagwanpuria group. The arrested gang had planned Mani Rana’s escape from police custody during a court hearing in Una, he said, adding that Sumit Jaswal, alias Kaku, had been arrested as he was actively involved in recce and organising logistics for the escape bid.

In the past two months, the Jalandhar rural police have arrested 32 gang members across the state and recovered 38 weapons from them.