4 members of Bhagwanpuria gang held in Punjab; 5th suspect escapes

Chandigarh, August 16

The Punjab Police have arrested four members of the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gang after a hot chase on the Jalandhar-Batala Highway and recovered a cache of arms and vehicles, exposing an international network supplying illegal weapons, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said here on Friday.

The accused have been identified as Asrat Kanth, Kamalpreet Singh, Pardeep Kumar and Gurmeet Raj.

Police teams have recovered four weapons, comprising one China-made 7.65 mm Glock, two .30 bore pistols and one revolver, besides four cartridges and three magazines.

DGP Yadav said that the gang leader, Asrat Kanth, "confessed" that the seized weapons were supplied by Aman alias Anda, a key figure in the Bhagwanpuria gang currently based in Germany. The arms were funnelled through Sanju, who is currently incarcerated, he added.

The DGP said the accused are linked to multiple criminal cases, including attempted murder, illegal arms possession, and gang-related violence across various districts in Punjab.

Sharing operation details, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jalandhar Rural Harkamalpreet Singh Khakh said police have received input that suspects were travelling in two vehicles, a Mahindra XUV and a Maruti Brezza.

Acting swiftly, a police team laid a checkpoint near Lahdra village, he said, adding that the cops managed to stop Brezza, resulting in the immediate arrest of Sabi and Komal Bajwa. However, the persons in XUV managed to break through the blockade, leading to a chase that ended near Jinda Road in Maqsuda, where Gora and Juneja were apprehended, he added.

A fifth suspect, Sajandeep alias Loda, managed to escape.

The SSP said that the gang had previously been involved in a deadly shootout at Batala's Gandhi Camp on July 23, where a rival gang member, Yudveer, was killed and another, Rahul Datar, critically injured.

Khakh lauded the efforts of the police teams led by SP Special Branch Jalandhar (D) Manpreet Singh Dhillon and DSP Adampur Sub-Division Sumit Sood. “This operation is a significant success in our ongoing efforts to curb gang activity in the region,” he said.

Meanwhile, the accused will be produced before a local court, where the police will seek further remand to deepen the investigation into the gang's operations and international connections.