Amritsar (Punjab) [India], January 7 (HBTV): A conspirator in the killing of AAP-backed sarpanch Jarmal Singh in Amritsar two days ago was shot dead in an encounter with a joint team of the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) staff and the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) near Bhikhiwind in Tarn Taran district on Tuesday, DIG (Border Range) Snehdeep Sharma said.
The DIG said the accused, identified as Harnur, also known as Noor, a resident of the Kathunangal area, was a close associate of foreign-based gangsters Prabh Dasuwal and Afridi. He was also part of the module involved in plotting the murder of Congress block president Harman Sekhon in Tarn Taran.
Sharma said the police acted on a tip-off that Noor was travelling in the area on a motorcycle. ‘When our team intercepted him, the accused abandoned his motorcycle and opened fire at them,’ he said.
‘During the crossfire, a bullet struck a police personnel, but he escaped unhurt due to his bulletproof jacket. However, Noor suffered serious injuries and was rushed to a hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries,’ the DIG said, adding that a pistol was recovered from Noor’s possession.
Sarpanch Jarmal Singh, a resident of Valthoa village in Tarn Taran district, was attending a wedding ceremony at Marigold Marriage Palace in Amritsar on Sunday when unidentified assailants shot him dead at close range. According to police, the attackers, who were disguised as guests, opened fire while Singh was eating. He was rushed to a nearby hospital after being shot in the forehead but later succumbed to his injuries.
The DIG said Noor had been assisting the module involved in planning the murder of Harman Sekhon. Four suspects have already been arrested in the Sekhon murder case. ‘During their interrogation, it emerged that at the behest of foreign-based gangsters Donny Bal and Prabh Dasuwal, they had earlier planned to target Sekhon during the zila parishad elections held last year, but could not execute the plan,’ Sharma said.
He added that Noor assisted those who conducted reconnaissance on Sekhon and also carried out recce of sarpanch Jarmal Singh. ‘Tarn Taran police have been coordinating with Amritsar police to probe Noor’s exact role in the murder case,’ the DIG said.
Security agencies are also examining Noor’s role as a field worker for gangs linked to Dasuwal and Afridi, he added.