Amidst the ongoing drive against anti-social elements launched on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) in a joint operation with Moga Police have arrested Gangster Gurpreet Singh alias Gopi Dalewalia, who was the key shooter in Santokh Singh murder case, said Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav here on Friday.
He said that the accused Gopi Dalewalia, a resident of Dalewal village in Jalandhar is a member of the Goru Bacha gang. The Police teams have also recovered one pistol along with five cartridges from his possession, he added.
The development came a fortnight after Punjab Police arrested three shooters identified as Nirmal Singh alias Nimma, Aprail Singh alias Shera and Jaskaran Singh alias Karan— involved in the murder of Santokh Singh, who was killed by four assailants, who barged into his house in Moga on July 16, 2023.
The Police had recovered three .32 calibre pistols along with 10 live cartridges and a Hyundai Verna car, which was used in a crime, from their possession.DGP Gaurav Yadav said that a team of AGTF under the overall supervision of ADGP Promod Ban along with Moga Police following reliable intel inputs have arrested Gopi Dalewalia from the Mehatpur area in Jalandhar.
The accused is convicted in four criminal cases and was declared a proclaimed offender in a murder case at Goraya in 2016, he added.
Sharing more details, AIG AGTF Sandeep Goel said that Gurpreet Singh alias Gopi Dallewalia and Gaurav Sharma alias Goru Bacha are the masterminds behind this gruesome murder. Further investigations are on, he added.
A Case FIR no. 155 dated 16/07/2023 was already registered under sections 302 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 25 of the Arms Act at Police Station City Moga.