Punjab Police, in a joint operation, apprehended three suspects linked to a foreign gangster in connection with the Batala double murder case as they attempted to flee the country.
In an operation with the central agencies, Punjab Police arrested three key accused wanted in the Batala double murder case from the Indo-Bhutan border in West Bengal while they were attempting to flee to Bhutan, DGP Gaurav Yadav said on Wednesday.
The accused were allegedly linked to a foreign-based fugitive gangster, Happy Jatt, police said.
The operation under the name 'Operation Nest Wrecker' was jointly carried out by Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) Punjab, Overseas Fugitive Tracking and Extradition Cell (OFTEC) Punjab, headed by Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ashish Choudhary and Batala Police.
Those arrested have been identified as Jatin Singh, a resident of Kathunangal in Amritsar, Sajandeep Singh, a resident of village Sangar Kot in Tarn Taran, and Mehakdeep Singh, a resident of Balia Manjpur in Amritsar.
Accused Jatin Singh has a criminal background with multiple criminal cases under the Arms Act, NDPS Act, etc. registered against him.
Four assailants on two motorcycles opened fire on three individuals in Bhoma village in Batala on April 27 at around 9 pm. In this incident, two of the individuals succumbed to the bullet injuries, while one was injured.
DGP Yadav said that preliminary investigations have revealed that the accused were acting on the directions of their foreign-based fugitive handler, Happy Jatt and had executed planned killings on his directions.
The investigation also revealed that the accused persons were constantly changing locations to evade arrest. Further investigation is underway to establish the complete conspiracy, including financial links, logistical support, weapon procurement, and the role of other associates involved in the case, he added.
Sharing operational details, Additional Director General of Police, AGTF, Promod Ban said, following the incident, police teams from AGTF, Batala Police, Intelligence and Technical units jointly carried out an investigation and analysed extensive CCTV footage from multiple locations.
Technical footprints and intelligence inputs confirmed the movement of accused persons towards the international border region, said the ADGP, while adding that, acting swiftly, a team comprising officers/officials of AGTF and Batala Police was dispatched to arrest and bring back the accused persons to Punjab.