Gangster wanted in five cases arrested from Delhi

Times News Network
Ludhiana: Wanted in five criminal cases, including attempt to murder, dacoity and robbery, a notorious gangster was arrested from Delhi on Monday in a joint operation of the Ludhiana counter-intelligence and the Organised Crime Control Unit (OCCU). The team also recovered two .32-bore pistols with a magazine, five live cartridges of .32 bore and a 9-mm pistol with a magazine from his possession. According to officials, the accused had procured the weapons to execute more crimes.
The accused has been identified as Puneet Bains, alias Mani Bains, 25, of Ghora Colony near Cheema Chowk. The Ludhiana team remained in Delhi for four days to nab him.
Ludhiana superintendent of police (counter-intelligence) Rupinder Kaur Bhatti said Puneet was wanted by Ludhiana Police in five criminal cases, including a snatching, three attempt to murder cases and a dacoity. He was also wanted by Fatehgarh Sahib police for planning a dacoity. When he was arrested from Delhi, three weapons were recovered from him along with live cartridges and magazines.
“During interrogation, the accused confessed to have bought one weapon from a Delhi smuggler and two from the one based in Ludhiana. Puneet has an old rivalry with some people, to settle which he got the weapons and was planning to execute more crimes,” she added.
She said Puneet was on the run in the gambling den dacoity case in which he, along with 11 accomplices, had barged into a farmhouse in Basant Avenue, Ludhiana, where gambling was on at a big scale on the night of August 14. The accused had opened fire in the air, threatened the gamblers and robbed them of Rs 14.5 lakh in cash and gold jewellery at gunpoint. In this case, Neeraj Kumar Ashu of Ganesh Nagar, Mandeep Singh Manna of Noormehal, Deepak Deepu of Ghora Colony, Vivek Manu Jhangi of Model Gram and Sahil Kanda of New Chandar Nagar have already been arrested. The hunt was on for other accused.
Bhatti said on June 9, Division 3 police had registered an attempt to murder case against Puneet and Neeraj Sharma Ashu, Naveen Negi of Tajpur Road, Simranjot Singh of Mohar Singh Nagar, Bunty Nani of Ram Nagar, Ajay Kumar of Ghora Colony and Rocky for opening fire outside the house of a murder bid accused, Rishav Banipal, in Dharampura. Banipal’s family had a narrow escape in the incident. Three jail inmates, who were the main conspirator in the firing identified as Manwinder Singh, alias Nikka Jattana, of Mansa, Manpritpal Singh Pratty of Jamalpur and Krishna Sahnu of Sector 32, were also booked.
On May 30, Tibba police had booked local gangster Jatinder Singh Jindi, Puneet and their accomplices for opening fire at a relator, Kuldeep Singh, and his son, Jaspreet Singh, of Mayapuri, Tibba. Before firing, the accused also thrashed Jaspreet over a monetary dispute.
On October 8 last year, Puneet and his accomplices had opened fire at a DJ operator at Shankar Dhaba in Transport Nagar following an argument. Other accused were arrested, but Puneet remained at large.
ACP Bhatti said, “The accused has named a few more accomplices, who will also be arrested soon.”