Rupnagar police foiled a serious target killing and robbery conspiracy on Monday after arresting five armed accused following an encounter in village Rolumajra under Sri Chamkaur Sahib police station. Rupnagar police acted swiftly on precise intelligence and prevented a major crime.
Senior Superintendent of Police Gulneet Singh Khurana said Rupnagar police received credible inputs about a group of armed men planning to murder Ranjit Singh, a native of Rolumajra who is currently settled in Italy. The accused also planned a robbery to fund further criminal activities. Rupnagar police immediately constituted joint teams and rushed to the area.
As the police teams surrounded the suspects and asked them to surrender, the accused opened fire. Police retaliated, and during the brief encounter, Karanveer Singh alias Kanwa suffered a bullet injury to his leg. Police shifted him to the Civil Hospital, where doctors declared him out of danger.
Rupnagar police recovered a significant cache of illegal weapons, including three .32 bore pistols, one .315 bore country-made firearm, live cartridges and magazines. Police initially registered a case under Sections 399 and 402 of the IPC. After further investigation, police added attempt-to-murder charges.
Investigators later uncovered links to extremist networks and invoked provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Rupnagar police found that the accused planned the murder because Ranjit Singh opposed extremist activities and remained active in the management of Gurdwara Kalgidhar Sahib.
Police investigations revealed that foreign-based handlers coordinated the murder contract through contacts in Greece and Dubai. Rupnagar police confirmed that Karanveer Singh alias Kanwa already faced two murder cases and several firing incidents.
The other arrested accused include Akash Rana, Vansh Shori, Gurkamal Singh alias Kamal, and Karandeep Singh alias Kanu. SSP Khurana said senior officers closely supervised the operation and praised the coordination between different police units.
Rupnagar police have launched an in-depth probe to trace the international links, arms suppliers and the wider criminal network. SSP Khurana said more arrests and disclosures are likely in the coming days.
