CHANDIGARH, January 25: In a major breakthrough, the Anti-Gangster Task Force Punjab (AGTF) Punjab achieved an important goal. Acting on the directions of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, they conducted a joint operation with SAS Nagar Police. They have apprehended an associate of the Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar gang. This was in connection with the firing incident at the IELTS/Immigration Centre in Dera Bassi. Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav announced this here on Saturday.
“Mehfuj Alias Vishal Khan Arrested for Firing Incident at Dera Bassi IELTS Centre”
The authorities have identified the arrested accused as Mehfuj alias Vishal Khan, a resident of Dera Bassi.Police teams have also recovered one .32 calibre pistol along with five cartridges from his possession.
DGP Gaurav Yadav stated that the arrested accused were the masterminds behind the firing incident at an IELTS/Immigration Centre in Dera Bassi. Manjeet alias Guri, another member of the Lawrance Bishnoi and Goldy Brar gang, is currently lodged in Tihar Jail and was also involved. As per the information, on September 19, 2024, two youth on motorcycles opened fire outside the IELTS/Immigration Centre in Dera Bassi in broad daylight. They did this to demand extortion from the owner.
DGP Confirms Arrests of Key Accused, Vishal Khan Still at Large
The DGP stated that the authorities have arrested all the other accused persons involved in the incident, including Jagdeep Jagga, Mohit Kumar alias Banti, Anmol, Gurkirat Singh Bedi, and Nishant Kumar alias Nikku Rana. However, Mehfuj alias Vishal Khan has been absconding.
Sharing operational details, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) AGTF Promod Ban mentioned that they received information based on human intelligence regarding the possible hideouts and locations of the accused Vishal Khan.
AGTF Teams Arrest Criminal with Ties to Goldy Brar and Joga at Punjab-Haryana Border
Special teams of AGTF acted swiftly. AIG Gurmeet Chauhan supervised them in coordination with SSP SAS Nagar Deepak Pareek. They were formed, said the ADGP. The teams zeroed in on the possible hideouts and locations. They successfully arrested him from the Punjab-Haryana border near Barwala and also recovered a pistol from his possession.
AIG AGTF Gurmeet Chauhan said that the arrested accused has a previous criminal history. Since 2023, he has been working on the directions of foreign-based terrorist Goldy Brar. The arrested accused collected a weapons consignment from the notorious gangster Joginder alias Joga of Haryana. Joga had provided weapons and logistical assistance to accused involved in the Sidhu Moosewala murder case. Later, he was also arrested, he added.
The AIG said that police action in November 2023 injured Manjeet Guri. Goldy Brar directed him to execute the murder of some businessmen in Zirakpur.
SSP Deepak Pareek: Preliminary Investigations Reveal Criminal Plot in Tricity
SSP Deepak Pareek further said that preliminary investigations have revealed important details. The investigations show that the arrested accused was planning to commit a crime in the tricity. Further investigation is ongoing to establish forward and backward linkages in this case, he added.
The authorities had already registered a case, FIR No 292, dated 19.09.2024, under sections 111, 109, 308(5), 32(b), 333, and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).The registration also included sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act at Police Station Dera Bassi in SAS Nagar.