Mohali cops arrest close aide of gangster killed in encounter last year, recover firearms

Mohali Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Vivek Sheel Soni said a special operation was launched by the district police against various gangsters and the police had a major breakthrough with the arrest of Harbir Singh Sohal, a close associate of notorious gangster Jaipal Singh Bhullar and Jasprit Singh Jassi, who were killed in an encounter by the Kolkata STF on inputs provided by the Punjab Police in June 2021.

The SSP added that the police received information about Sohal and Amritpal Singh alias Satta who were staying at a hideout in Kharar.

Sohal and Satta’s handlers Arshdeep Singh alias Arash Dalla, who is now based in Canada, and his associate Gurjant Singh alias Janta, who is now based in Australia, were handling the accused and giving them instructions from abroad.

“They (Dalla and Janta) were making extortion calls from abroad while Sohal and Satta were collecting extortion money on behalf of their handlers,” the SSP added.

A case of extortion and Arms Act was registered against his other accomplices and inputs were received against the gang.

Raids were conducted on their hideouts and while Sohal was arrested, Satta managed to escape. Two .30 caliber Chinese pistols, three magazines, 50 live cartridges along with four 9mm pistol magazines were recovered from his possession.

Sohal went absconding from the day the two ASIs of Jagroan Police were killed by Jaipal Singh and Jaspreet Jassi. He disclosed during the initial investigation that Jaipal had bought a large property in his and his relatives’ name with the money he accumulated by committing major robberies like the Banur cash van of 2017 (1.33 crore), gold loot 30 kg at IIFL, a company in Ludhiana in 2020 and other various robberies.

Further investigation is going on in this case. Several police parties have been dispatched to various places to arrest other accused.