Anmol Bishnoi, aide booked for Samrala youth’s murder
The attack comes five days after a group of assailants shot dead 25-year-old kabaddi player Tejpal Singh at Jagraon.
Two days after 22-year-old Gurwinder Singh alias Kinda was shot dead by bike-borne assailants in Manki village, Samrala, the police booked Anmol Bishnoi, brother of notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, and his aide, Ravi Rajgarh, after a social media post surfaced claiming responsibility for the killing.
On November 3 night, Gurwinder, who was sitting along with his friends Dharampal and Lovepreet Singh on a culvert near the village, was killed by armed assailants who arrived on two motorcycles and opened fire. The attack comes five days after a group of assailants shot dead 25-year-old kabaddi player Tejpal Singh at Jagraon.
The post on social media, posted by the name of Anmol Bishnoi, claimed responsibility for the targeted killing. HT couldn’t independently verify the veracity of the posts. The post says that the murder was committed by one Karan Madpur and Teji Chak at the behest of the Bishnoi group. The post further warns others not to side with one Babbu Samrala, otherwise they will also be killed.
The police have initiated a process to bring Rajgarh, who was arrested in July this year, on a production warrant from Bathinda jail for questioning.
Khanna senior superintendent of police (SSP), Jyoti Yadav Bains, said that the police will nominate Lawrence Bishnoi in the FIR and the other people who posted and shared the social media post.
The SSP said that the post seems to be a ploy to derail the investigation.
“But we can’t ignore it. For now, the police have booked Anmol Bishnoi, Ravi Rajgarh, and others, including those who shared the post on their social media accounts. The police will bring Rajgarh on a production warrant for questioning. The police will also book gangster Lawrence Bishnoi in the case,” the SSP added.
Superintendent of police (SP, Detective) Pawanjit Chaudhary said that the police have already booked four accused, Sandeep Singh, Teji Chak Sarai (named in the social media post), Karan Singh of Madpur (named in the social media post), and Simmi Balian, following the complaint by Dharampal, who is an eyewitness to the murder.
Meanwhile, the victim’s kin blocked the Ludhiana-Chandigarh Road near Samrala for one hour seeking the arrest of the accused.
Raman, the sister of the victim, stated that her brother was the lone breadwinner for the family. “He was a kabaddi player. He was the lone breadwinner for the family. We will not perform his last rites till all the accused are arrested,” she said.
Victim’s friend Gursharan Singh said that ahead of Gurpurb, Gurwinder, along with other youths, did ‘sewa’ (community service) at the local Gurdwara and were sitting on a culvert near the village when four assailants turned up on two bikes and shot at them.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP, Samrala) Tarlochan Singh assured the protesters that the police have already identified and arrested 10 accused for helping the assailants and providing them shelter. “The main accused will be arrested soon,’ he said. Following his assurance, the victim’s family lifted the blockade.
Rajgarh helped Anmol flee country
Khanna police had arrested Rajveer Singh alias Ravi Rajgarh, a key associate of gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar, from the Doraha area in July this year. Wanted in over 15 serious criminal cases, he is an ‘A-category’ gangster and was under investigation for his suspected role in the Sidhu Moose Wala murder.
He has long been on the National Investigation Agency (NIA) radar, especially for allegedly supplying weapons to the shooters involved in Sidhu Moose Wala’s murder. The NIA had earlier raided his house in Rajgarh village twice, but he evaded arrest. A police source said Rajgarh played a key role in helping Bishnoi’s brother, Anmol, escape to Dubai using a fake passport. He allegedly paid ₹25 lakh to an agent based in Ludhiana’s Transport Nagar who arranged forged documents from Jaipur, the source said.
Union minister Bittu met Gurwinder’s family on Tuesday and expressed grave concern over the worsening law-and-order situation in Punjab. “Criminals are roaming fearlessly in the state,” Bittu alleged.
