In a major breakthrough, Rupnagar Police in a joint operation with SSOC Mohali, has solved the murder case of Nangal-based Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader in less than 72 hours with the arrest of two operatives of a terror module backed by Pakistan-based terrorist organisation, said Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav here on Tuesday.
As per the information, a shopkeeper Vikas Prabhakar alias Vikas Bagga, pardhan of VHP Nangal Mandal was shot dead by two unidentified assailants at his shop situated on Railway Road in Nangal on Saturday evening. The assailants— one wearing a helmet and the other having face covered with muffler— came on a black scooty.
DGP Gaurav Yadav said that following a scientific and systematic investigation in this case, Police have arrested both the assailants identified as Mandeep Kumar alias Mangi and Surinder Kumar alias Rikka. Police teams have also recovered two .32 bore Pistols— including one used in the crime— along with 16 live cartridges and 1 empty cartridge, besides, impounding the TVS Jupiter scooty used in the crime, he added.
He said that preliminary investigations have revealed that this terror module backed by Pakistan-based terrorist organisation was being operated, guided, motivated and funded by the foreign-based handlers operating from Portugal.
“Arrested shooters Mandeep Kumar alias Mangi and Surinder Kumar alias Rikka are the foot soldiers of these foreign-based entities, who are the operatives of Pak-based terrorist masterminds. Foot soldiers have been recruited through the lure of money,” said the DGP.
He said that both the shooters were in contact with foreign-based handlers via encrypted Apps and the latter had shared the location and photo of the target with them, besides, arranging funds and weapons to execute this killing.
DGP Gaurav Yadav said that the Punjab Police will take the investigation to the logical end and all the accused persons involved in this case will be arrested. Punjab Police is fully committed to maintaining peace and harmony in the state, he reiterated.
Sharing more details, SSP Rupnagar Gulneet Singh Khurana said that as soon as the information was received, different teams were constituted and deputed for the investigation of the case. A reward of Rs 1 lakh was also announced for providing information regarding the identification of assailants and photographs of accused persons grabbed from a CCTV were circulated through electronic, print and social media, he added.
He said that further investigations are on to ascertain the terror organisation which operated this module.
In this regard, an FIR was registered on 13-04-2024 under sections 302 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act at Nangal Police Station.