In the sensational murder case of Shaurya Chakra Awardee Balwinder Singh Sandhu, who was shot dead by two unidentified men on October 16, 2020, the Punjab Police on Tuesday arrested a key accused identified as Gurwinder Singh alias Baba alias Raja from Tarn Taran. Gurwinder Baba’s two aides, identified as Sandeep Singh alias Kala of Amritsar and Gurpreet Singh alias Randhawa, were also arrested.
The police have also recovered one hand-grenade, one RDX-IED, two .30 bore pistols along with magazines and 13 live cartridges, 635 grammes of heroin, 100 grammes of opium, Rs 36.90 lakhs of drug money, and one Mitsubishi Lancer car from their possession.
Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav said that accused Gurwinder Singh alias Baba, who is proclaimed offender (PO) of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), had played a pivotal role in the killing of Shaurya Chakra Awardee Balwinder Singh Sandhu by providing weapons to shooters. A probe revealed that Gurwinder Baba is a close associate of Notorious Gangsters Sukhpreet Singh alias Harry Chatha and Sukhmeetpal Singh alias Sukh Bikhariwal, a prime suspect in Shaurya Chakra Awardee Balwinder Singh’s murder case, he added. The preliminary investigations indicated that the recovered explosives, arms, and ammunition were to be used to disrupt the peace and harmony and create a sense of terror in the state of Punjab on or around Independence Day, said the DGP.In the presence of SSP Tarn Taran, Jaskaran Singh, while addressing a press conference, said that following the reliable inputs that Gurwinder Baba, along with his aide Sandeep, was on the way to Khadoor Sahib, the Tarn Taran Police Party had intercepted the white Lancer car in which both were travelling and managed to arrest them. Two pistols with loaded magazines, 635 grams of heroin, 100 grams of opium, and Rs 3.90 lakh in drug money were recovered from the car, he added.
The IGP said that, later, following the disclosures of Gurwinder Baba, the police also recovered one hand grenade, one RDX-IED, and Rs 33 lakhs of drug money from the location pinpointed in the area of Police District Batala. Preliminary investigations suggest that the recovered explosives, arms, and drugs were smuggled via drones from Pakistan, he added.
SSP Tarn Taran Ranjit Singh Dhillon said that FIR no. 118 has been registered under sections 18, 21, 25, and 29 of the NDPS Act, sections 25(6) and 25(7) of the Arms Act, sections 4 and 5 of the Explosive Substance Act, and sections 10, 11, and 12 of the Aircraft Act at Police Station Verowal.