Chandigarh: A district court here declared the kingpin in the PGIMER
ambulance racket, which was busted in May 2016, as a proclaimed offender on Saturday.
Gagandeep Singh Mann, alias Fauji, was declared as proclaimed offender as he is still absconding .It is believed that Fauji participated in election campaigning for some politicians in Punjab.
Fauji was declared PO after police stated in court that they had made all efforts to nab him, but he was untraceable. Police said they had raided suspected hideouts in Ludhiana and Saharanpur too, and pasted posters in public places,
The ambulance racket, in which gang members forcefully charged heavily from kin of patients and deceased, was busted in May 2016. Two gangs were operating the racket. Apart from Fauji, the second kingpin is Satinder Singh, alias Satti, a resident of Mohali, who has been arrested.
Seven others, including three security guards, three body packers of mortuary and one staffer of PGI mortuary, have already been arrested. They include: guards Vinod Kumar (41), Sashi (34), and Gurkirpal Singh, alias Kala (40); body packers Ashwani (38), Tirathpal (34), and Ashwani Kumar (34); and mortuary attendant Vicky (35).
Taxi unions also used to allegedly pay Rs 5,000 a month to Fauji and Satti. They had tied up with the duo for providing ambulances for transporting bodies from PGIMER.
Following a set modus-operandi, gang members used to park private ambulances near the emergency ward, ATC and the mortuary. Junior staff, involving security guards, mortuary workers and sweepers, appointed inside tipped-off drivers about the arrival of critical patients and departure of bodies.
