Tribune News Service
Moga, April 8
Days after gangster Harjit Singh, alias Penta, was shot by two motorcycle-borne youths in broad daylight at Marhi Mustafa village here, the police today claimed to have solved the case. Penta’s associate Gurpreet Singh was injured in the incident on April 2.
The police had nominated gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s brother Anmol Bishnoi in the case, but he was yet to be arrested. His female associate, Rupanjali, had been arrested from Delhi. Also, Parbat Singh had been arrested, while two others — sharp-shooter Manpreet Singh, alias Mannu, and his associate Prem Singh — were at large.
The Moga police also claimed they had unravelled the mystery behind Bishnoi’s Facebook page, created by his gang members to claim responsibility for heinous crimes committed by them. The page was created using Rupanjali’s phone number. She is a resident of Nangloi, Delhi.
During interrogation, Rupanjali revealed she came in touch with Anmol through Facebook and had created Bishnoi’s page, under name ‘Goldy Brar’, on his instructions. Bishnoi is currently lodged at Delhi’s Tihar jail, while his brother is at large.
IG (Faridkot Range) PK Yadav and Moga SSP Gulneet Singh Khurana said special police teams were constituted to trace the suspects after the incident. On inputs from a credible source, a raid was conducted on a house on a link road between Jai Singh Wala and Chotian Tobe villages. Parbat Singh, a resident of Kussa village, was arrested with a .12 bore country-made pistol, two cartridges and a bike. “The bike was used by the assailants to kill Penta,” said Yadav, adding it was stolen to commit the murder.
Parbat claimed Mannu, a resident of Kussa village, had shot Penta, while Prem Singh, resident of Chola Sahib (Taran Taran), was riding it. Parbat confessed Mannu had shown him Penta’s house. On April 1, Parbat took a .30 bore pistol, which was used in the crime, from Bughipura Chowk on Mannu’s directions and handed it over to him on the day of the crime.
Yadav said another criminal Chamkaur Singh, alias Beant Singh, who was brought on a production warrant from the Ferozepur jail, revealed he had learnt from inmates that gangsters Bishnoi and Brar had sent their shooters — Mannu and Prem — to kill Penta, who previously had an affiliation with the Davinder Bambiha gang.
The police said Mannu had personal enmity with Penta following an assault in 2017, when both were lodged in the Faridkot jail. The fight was a result of rivalry between Bambiha and Bishnoi gang members. Later, the inmates were shifted to other jails.
PK Yadav said Mannu, Prem and Anmol had been nominated in the case. Mannu is facing six criminal cases and has been convicted in two — one of murder and the other of attempted murder. Parbat also faces two cases and is wanted in a drugs smuggling case at Badhni Kalan police station. Anmol is currently lodged in the Jodhpur jail and will be brought on a production warrant by the Moga police.
Moga gangster's murder case solved, Bishnoi's brother among 5 booked
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