Punjab: Shootout at housing society in Kharar, 5 gangsters held

By: Piyush Sarna
MOHALI: Gunshots shattered the calm of a housing society shocked to watch a police operation to smoke out criminals living among them in Kharar on Friday.
Five gangsters walked out of their flat with handcuffs on after a brief shootout. Six weapons were recovered from them. They included two 9mm pistols, a .30 bore, a 32 bore and two .315 bore pistols. Twenty cartridges of different caliber too were found by a team of Organised Crime Control Unit (OCCU) of Punjab Police and Jagraon and Mohali that landed up at Aman Homes following a tip-off.

Additional inspector general Gurmeet Singh Chauhan, who led the team, said “We received information that Navdeep Singh alias John Buttar, a resident of Buttar Kalan, Moga, was hiding in the society. He is a proclaimed offender since 2012. When the miscreants came to know that the police had arrived, they blocked their door. We told them to surrender themselves. When we broke the door and entered, a gunshot ensued in which Buttar was injured on his leg.” Sources said police fired around 6-7 rounds. “Buttar was taken to civil hospital, Kharar, from where he was referred to PGI,” sources said.
Punjab DGP Dinkar Gupta said, “The suspects tried to flee and opened fire at the police party but were overpowered. No policeman sustained injuries.” He said Buttar was the main accused in the firing incident on the associates of Shinder Singh, a former sarpanch. He had uploaded videos on Facebook claiming responsibility for the attack.
The other accused are Kulwinder alias Kinda and Palwinder Singh alias Pinda, both from Buttar Kalan, Moga, and Amritpal Singh and Amrik Singh, both from Samrala, Khanna.
Palwinder Singh is a proclaimed offender in a murder case of gangster Kuldeep Singh alias Keepa registered at Badni Kalan police station in Moga. Amrik Singh has narcotics and liquor smuggling cases registered against him. Similarly, Amritpal Singh was previously booked in liquor smuggling cases.
A case under Sections 307 (attempt to murder), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions) and 120B (punishment of criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and 25 of Arms Act was registered.
Amarjeet Singh, a security guard at the society, told TOI, “Cops came in the afternoon and asked me where the youths from Samrala reside. They surrounded the society. These people have been residing here since July 11.”
Gurwinder Singh Jolly, a resident of the society, said “I had told the landlord that these people are not right. They used to play loud music in their jeep late at night. Around 300-350 people reside here and the police action was a big shock for all of us.”