CHANDIGARH: The District Police Ludhiana (Rural) Monday claimed to have achieved a major success by arresting the gang leader of the notorious gang of robbers, vehicle snatcher Dharminder Singh @ Bhinda s/o Surinderpal Singh r/o village Shadipur PS Bilga Distt. Jalandhar, during a special patrolling. The accused is involved in about 70 criminal cases of various districts.

Sanjiv Kalra, Inspector General of Police, Jalandhar Zone, Jalandhar in the presence of Sh. Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, PPS, Senior Superintendent of Police, Ludhiana (Rural) while addressing the press conference told media persons that a special patrolling in the area of PS Sidhwan Bet was conducted under the supervision of  Satnam Singh, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Detective, Ludhiana (Rural).

He said that During this process one unknown person tried to slip on seeing the police vehicle. On suspicion the police party followed him. The said person fired upon the police party. The police party also returned the fire in self-defence and over powered the accused. The accused disclosed his identity as Dharminder Singh @ Bhinda s/o Surinderpal Singh r/o village Shadipur PS Bilga Distt. Jalandhar. In this connection a case FIR No. 12 dtd. 20.01.08 u/s 307 IPC & 25 Arms Act PS Sidhwan Bet has been registered. During preliminary interrogation, the accused disclosed that he was released on bail on 02.09.07. After jumping the bail he formed a gang of Joga @ Jogi s/o Bhajan Singh r/o Dall, PS Khalra Distt. Taran Tarn, Gurpreet Singh @ Gopi s/o Satnam Singh r/o Rurka PS Goraya Distt. Jalandhar, Harwinder Singh @ Kaka s/o Sukhlal Singh r/o Rurka PS Goraya Distt. Jalandhar, Sandeep Singh r/o Kang Jagir PS Phillaur, Jagroop Singh @ Rubi s/o Mohinder Singh r/o Talban PS Bilga Distt. Jalandhar and Balwinder Singh   @ Billa s/o Mukhtiar Singh r/o Fatehabad Distt. Taran Tarn and Amit Kamboj and committed various crimes.

During interrogation the accused has disclosed the following latest crimes committed by gang members: -

Looted a sum of  Rs. 350000/- from Satnam Singh, Panchayat Secretary,   Co-operative society near village Mari Major, Distt.  Taran Tarn and fired with 315 bore country-made. Regarding this incident a case FIR No. 93 dtd.10.10.07 u/s 395 IPC & 25 Arms Act PS Khalra was registered.

Snatched an Innova Car near Patti. Regarding this incident case FIR No. 252 dtd. 18.10.07 /s 394/364 IPC & 25 Arms Act PS City Patti was registered.

Snatched Rs. 65000/- from a worker of liquor vend. Regarding this incident a case FIR No. 226 dtd. 31.10.07 u/s 392 IPC PS Byas was registered.

Looted Rs. 30000/- from six patrol pumps in the area of Distt. Taran Tarn. Accused also looted a patrol pump in the area of PS Sidhwan Bet. Regarding this incident a case FIR No. 210 dtd. 30.09.07 u/s 382 IPC PS Sidhwan Bet was registered.

Hired an Indica car from Ludhiana and snatched the same near Phillaur. In November 2007 near Jaladiwal on Raikot-Barnala road hit the Skoda car and looted one mobile set of Nokia, Cash, one wrist watch and one gold ring from Ashok Kumar Aggarwal owner of the car. The accused also took away the Skoda car. Regarding this incident case FIR No. 203 dtd. 28.11.7 u/s 382/427/341/506/279/34 IPC PS Raikot was registered.

On 25 December, 2007 this gang followed one Ford Fiesta car near Mullanpur Dakha, stopped the car on the pretext to know about the hospital as one of them was having some hurt on the hand. Three accused persons came out from the Skoda car, gave beating to the businessman and put him in the Skoda car and fled away towards Hambran Road. The said accused persons looted gold ornaments alongwith cash Rs. 12000/-. The said businessman and his children were told to sit in the vehicle. The accused persons took the wife of the businessman and went to the residence of businessman in Fiesta car from where they also looted the jewelry but left the cash there. When they again went to take the cash, they could not succeed and returned back. Regarding this incident a case FIR No. 143 dtd. 26.12.07 u/s 392/365/341/506 IPC PS Dakha was registered. After this crime they went to village Talban where they fired on the house of Bittu. Regarding this incident a case FIR No. 155 dtd. 19.12.07 u/s 307/458/34 IPC & 25 Arms Act PS Bilga was registered.

This gang had also snatched cash in the area of PS Nakodar in four incidents.

The gang members used to move in cars near National College and Arya College Noor Mehal and were putting their mobile phone numbers on the number plates. So that the college girls could contact them. These gang members were using the looted money for leading a lavish lifestyle.
 

Dharminder Singh @ Bhinda oftenly used to travel in the buses due to fear from Police. Now he was planning to go abroad by procuring a forged passport from UP. One gang member Amit Kamboj r/o H.No.408, Karnal (Haryana) is also wanted who had jumped bail in a murder case. This gang had snatched 30/40 cars gold ornaments and other valuables. (The efforts are being made to arrest the remaining gang members and some more recoveries and sensational clues are expected)

Accused Dharminder Singh Bhinda, Billu, Bitta and Joga were declared P.Os in the cases of Distt. Taran Tarn. When the police put pressure, these gang members used to become silent in Punjab and took shelter in Himachal Pardesh, UP, Utranchal and Bombay. One laptop, one Skoda car, one 32 Bore Pistol, one 315 Bore Desi and many mobile sets and gold and valuable ornaments are yet to be recovered from this gang.

The modus operandi of this gang was that they used to stop the vehicle by crossing or hit the vehicle on a narrow passage. When the driver stopped to check the vehicle, they used to kidnap and taking on link roads looted the cash, gold ornaments and other valuables.

The further investigations are in progress and some more sensational clues are expected from this gang.