Ropar Police has arrested three gangsters of Pehalwan group, allegedly involved in five cases of highway dacoity. Four of their accomplices are still at large.The Pehalwan group was also involved in an armed power struggle with the Gandhi group of Khanna over student politics in Fathegarh Sahib, Khanna and Patiala colleges.The accused, including a national level weightlifter and an ex-president of a college students’ union, were nabbed following a tip-off on Monday evening, after a hot chase of 10 km at Katli T point by a CIA 1 team led by Inspector Dipinder of Ropar Police.Those arrested are weightlifter Neelamal @ Billa of Rasulda, Khanna; Vishal of Khanna, who is an ex-president of RIMT college, Mandi Gobindgarh; and Gurjot of Rajpura, who was out on bail in two cases of robbery registered against him in Patiala. Their accomplices, who are evading arrest, also belong to Khanna and Patiala, according to initial investigations.Police have recovered four pistols (32 bore) and 22 live bullets from the arrested gangsters, who had reportedly procured the weapons from a contact in Meerut, U.P.
"The apprehended gangsters belong to Pehalwan group of Sirhind. They were involved in five cases of dacoity in Ropar, Khanna and Fatehgarh Sahib," said SSP, Ropar, Swapan Sharma.The apprehended gangsters were involved in snatching of a motorcycle and armed robbery of two liquor vends in Sirhind and Khanna in November last year. They also looted liquor vends in Pathredi Jattan and Sandhuan in Distt. Ropar. The trio, along with their accomplices, attempted an armed robbery of a liquor vend in Bassi Pathana, where shots were fired at the liquor vend owner.Police is now on the look-out of the remaining members of this gang. Sources suggest that some have fled to Maharashtra and Gujrat. One of the gang member is believed to have fled abroad.This is second major breakthrough this year for Rupnagar Police, which had busted an Army job racket earlier this month.