Former Militant’s Murder Case: Key Assailant Attempts Escape, Injured in Police Firing; Two Weapons Recovered

CHANDIGARH/JALANDHAR, July 8: “Counter Intelligence (CI) Jalandhar took a significant action amid the ongoing fight against organized crime, in response to directives from Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann. Simranjit Singh, also known as Bablu, a member of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and a key assailant of former terrorist Rattandeep Singh, sustained bullet injuries to both legs while attempting to escape from police custody on the outskirts of Jalandhar city, as announced by Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav on Monday.

        Two bike-borne assailants shot dead former militant Rattandeep Singh in SBS Nagar on April 3, 2024, according to reports.

“After the Counter Intelligence Jalandhar arrested the accused Simranjit Bablu, he disclosed information that led a police team, supervised by AIG CI Jalandhar Navjot Singh Mahal, to a location near Wadala on the Jalandhar-Nakodar road. “He claimed to have concealed the pistol suspected of being used in Rattandeep’s murder there.”

Accused attempted to escape police custody

At the location, the accused attempted to escape police custody by pushing down a police official. “In response, the CI Jalandhar team opened fire to prevent his escape, resulting in gunshot injuries,” as noted by the DGP. Following this incident, they promptly transported the accused to the nearest hospital for treatment.

Furthermore, police teams have recovered two sophisticated weapons, namely a .32 Webley revolver and a .32 pistol, along with one magazine and 19 live cartridges from his possession.

FORMER MILITANT’S MURDER CASE : Bablu received directions from Pakistan-based terrorist

DGP Gaurav Yadav disclosed that preliminary investigations indicate Simranjit Bablu, arrested for the crime, received directions from Pakistan-based terrorist Harwinder Rinda and USA-based Gopi Nawanshehria to assassinate former militant Rattandeep Singh, aiming to instill societal panic. Jaspreet Singh alias Jassi Kulam, the other assailant, fled abroad after the crime. Charges under the Arms Act and criminal conspiracy have been filed, and efforts are underway to uncover all connections related to the case.

Bablu has a significant criminal record

AIG Navjot Mahal also shared that based on intelligence inputs, CI Jalandhar Police established a special checkpoint in Deol Nagar Colony, Jalandhar. As a result, this operation successfully led to the arrest of Simranjit Singh, also known as Bablu. Importantly,

Bablu has a significant criminal record, encompassing cases of murder, attempted murder, and violations of the Arms Act. Moreover, he cited Bablu’s involvement in the assassination of an ASI from Amritsar Police.\

SSOC Amritsar has registered a case

The Police Station State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) Amritsar has registered FIR no. 39 dated 07.07.2024, under section 25 of the Arms Act and section 61(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).