With the arrest of two radicals, Ashok Kumar Vohra @ Amna Seth and Lovepreet Singh @ Lovely, Punjab Police has solved the long pending cases of murder of two religious leaders, Paras Mani and Baba Lakha Singh, and a Dera Sacha Sauda follower, Gurdev Singh.According to a spokesperson, the duo were nabbed by the Counter-Intelligence team of Punjab Police after a hot chase at a Police check-point near Sodhi Nagar on Wednesday. A .32 bore revolver and a motorcycle, besides some radical literature and writings, have been recovered from their possession.Subsequent inquiries revealed that the duo were involved in three murders that took place between 2014 and 2016.While 29-year-old Paras Mani, head of Dera Baba Farid at Khukhrana village (district Moga), was gunned down in June 2014, Baba Lakha Singh @ Lakhwinder Singh @ Pakhandi Baba, a controversial religious preacher, was killed by the suspects in Hanumangarh district (Rajasthan) on Nov 23, 2016. They were also involved in the killing of Gurdev Singh (31), a Dera Sacha Sauda follower, in village Burj Jawahar Singh Wala (district Faridkot) on Jun 13, 2016.The spokesman said that Ashok Kumar Vohra came on the police's radar for the first time after Paras Mani's killing.
Paras Mani was shot dead by two persons on the dera premises situated on the Moga-Ferozepur highway at around 6 pm on the fateful day. Investigations had revealed that one Gurpreet Singh @ Gopi was also involved in the sensational shootout along with Ashok Kumar.While Gurpreet Singh @ Gopi was arrested in a police operation in Kohala village (Ferozepur) last month, Ashok Kumar Vohra had managed to give the police slip by escaping under the cover of darkness.A massive manhunt had been underway since then to apprehend Ashok. His photograph and his personal details had been publicized by the police through the media and on social media platforms.The spokesperson said that preliminary investigations have revealed that the duo were highly radicalized killers and were indulging in targeted killings. It has been also revealed that they were working in close collaboration with Jaswant Singh @ Kala r/o Sonewala village (PS Sadar, Sri Muktsar Sahib) and Avtar Singh @ Pamma r/o village Kohala (Ferozepur).The spokesperson said both Ashok Kumar Vohra and Lovepreet Singh were trying to flee Punjab when they were apprehended. Further investigations are in progress.