Thirteen criminals backed by gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and Harvinder Rinda were arrested on July 14, a top Punjab Police official said in Chandigarh. Addressing the media, Inspector General of Police Sukhchain Singh Gill said nine of those arrested were sharp-shooters.
“Thirteen weapons were seized from those arrested,” he added. “They had plans to commit several crimes, including murders and robberies,” Mr. Gill said. “They were chased down by the Jalandhar (Rural) police after a two-week-long operation led by special teams,” he said.
On June 29, 11 people involved in heinous crimes and backed by Bishnoi and Rinda were arrested. Mr. Gill said that since their arrest, the Jalandhar police have been working on some leads to arrest the remaining associates of their gang.
The officer said all those arrested were history-sheeters and facing cases of heinous crimes in several districts, including Ludhiana, Amritsar, Ferozepur, Tarn Taran, Jalandhar, Khanna, Mohali, and Patiala.
The officer said the gang was active in most districts in Punjab for the last four years. Its members have been involved in crimes, including murder, armed dacoity, organised extortion and highway robbery. "After busting this gang, the Punjab Police has thwarted at least five murders and seven armed dacoities and robberies," the IG said.
