2 operatives of Doni Bal gang killed in gunfight with Ludhiana police

Two operatives, allegedly members of Doni Bal’s gang, were killed in a gun fight with Ludhiana Police in the city’s Atam Park area on Sunday, in an operation held in coordination with Punjab Police’s Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF).

Doni Bal is a fugitive gangster believed to be hiding abroad. Police have identified the deceased as Karanjot Singh alias Nona and Sandeep Singh — both from Sultanwind of Amritsar, said Ludhiana police commissioner Swapan Sharma.

Sharma said both the deceased had come to Ludhiana to “orchestrate a mass shooting at a blood donation camp”, which was organised at Marryland Palace on Dugri Road. At least 24 rounds were fired in the gunfight, he said.

Ludhiana ACP (detective) Harshpreet Singh said Bal’s alleged associates had planned to target their rivals at the blood donation camp held in memory of Ravi Khwajke. Khwajke, a Congress leader and sarpanch of Khwajke village, was shot dead in 2016 allegedly by the Devinder Bambiha gang.

Bambiha was also later killed in a police encounter the same year, following which Doni Bal took over his gang’s operations. However, before the gang operatives could execute the shooting, they were apprehended with three sophisticated and fully automatic 9 mm weapons including Glock and Zingana pistols, police said, adding that the two were neutralised in an exchange of fire with police.

The Ludhiana police commissioner said police teams also seized around 50 live cartridges from the deceased’s possession. “Acting on precise intelligence inputs regarding a planned attack, joint teams had installed a special checkpoint at the Under Bridge near Atam Park and intercepted two suspects on a Hero Splendor motorcycle without a registration number.

Upon being signaled to stop, the assailants attempted to flee and opened indiscriminate fire at the police personnel.” The commissioner also said that while the assailants fired multiple shots at police, two bullets hit the official police vehicle.

In self-defence, the police team neutralised both armed attackers on the spot, he said. Preliminary investigations revealed that the assailants were in touch with Doni Bal and Shaganpreet, Sharma said, adding that “Bal only provided weapons to both deceased”.

The commissioner also said one of the deceased assailants, Karanjot Singh alias Nona, was a repeat offender facing two previous criminal cases registered under the Arms Act, robbery, and the NDPS Act; Sandeep Singh was also facing one criminal case.” Police have registered an FIR under Sections 109, 221, 132, 62 and 111 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and Section 25 of the Arms Act at Police Station Model Town in Ludhiana.