In a major breakthrough amidst the ongoing drive against organised crime, Punjab Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) in a joint operation with SAS Nagar Police has arrested four operatives of Canada-based terrorist Arsh Dalla and another foreign based-handler and recovered three .32 calibre pistols along with 16 cartridges from their possession, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Monday.
Those arrested have been identified as Gagandeep Singh and Navjot Singh alias Nishu, both residents of Amloh in Fatehgarh Sahib and currently staying at a rental accommodation in Kharar; Lakhwinder Singh, a resident of Bhadson in Patiala and Vipanpreet Singh, a resident of Faridkot.
Apart from recovering arms and ammunition, police teams have also impounded their white swift car, in which they were travelling. DGP Gaurav Yadav said that the arrested persons confessed to have opened fire at the car accessories showroom situated in Phase 11, Mohali on the intervening night of December 1 and 2 this year with an intention to intimidate the shop owner and extort money from him as directed by their foreign-based handler identified as Daljit Singh alias Ninda.
The latter is a history sheeter, who fled to USA on passport with fake particulars and associated with radicalised USA-based gangster, he added. The DGP said that the module was linked with radical Arsh Dala and were planning to execute more crimes in Punjab at his behest.
All the arrested accused have an extensive criminal history with a number of cases registered against them, he said, while adding that further investigations are ongoing to identify more persons involved in this module.
Sharing operational details, ADGP AGTF Promod Ban said following the firing incident at car accessories showroom in Mohali, special teams of AGTF under the supervision of AIG Gurmeet Chauhan and AIG Sandeep Goel in coordination with SSP SAS Nagar Deepak Pareek were formed to Crack the case.
The teams gathered CCTV footages, technical inputs and evidence from the crime spot which led to identification of the accused including the two shooters involved in the crime, he said, while adding that acting swiftly, the teams successfully traced them, while they were travelling in their Swift car, and arrested them from near Focal Point, Mohali after recovering weapons used in the crime.
The ADGP said that preliminary investigations have revealed that accused Gagandeep and Navjot alias Nishu opened fire at the car accessories shop, while accused Lakhwinder assisted them with the logistics, whereas accused Vipanpreet had provided them with the weapons on the instructions of Arsh Dalla.
SSP Deepak Pareek said that the accused Gagandeep was also wanted in a dacoity case registered at Police Station Amloh, while accused Vipanpreet was previously involved in two firing incidents in Jalandhar involving a singer in March 2024 and at Faridkot in January 2024, he added.
A case FIR No 40 dated 15/12/2024 has been registered under sections 111 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and section 25(6)(7) of Arms Act at Police Station State Crime, SAS Nagar.