A 29-year-old Punjab’s infamous gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria has tested positive for coronavirus. He was in police custody in connection with the prominent murder case of the Dhilwan Akali sarpanch. Former Akali sarpanch, Dalbir Singh Dhilwan was allegedly shot dead in native village Dhilwan in Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district on November 18, 2019. The accused had pumped six bullets into him, while having a walk along with his son Sandeep Singh on the village outskirts. Later, his legs were chopped off with a sharp-edged weapon.
According to Batala senior superintendent of police, Opinderjit Singh, Bhagwanpuria’s samples were on May 2 during his medical check-up at the civil hospital in town and he had tested positive for COVID-19. The SSP is not sure about the source of infection and has informed the civil surgeon.
The Batala police had brought the gangster, who was lodged in Patiala Central Jail, on a production warrant for questioning in the murder case on April 30, following which he was questioned by the police.
Who is Jaggu Bhagwanpuria
Jaggu Bhagwanpuria is the head of this gang and is active in Amritsar and Gurdaspur disctircts. The gang has strong links with the Sukha Kahlon gang in Doaba. But the Bhagwanpuria gang fell foul of Gounder who killed three of its members in Gurdaspur in August last year. Apart from kidnapping and extortion, the gang is also involved in drug and arms smuggling in areas along the international border with Pakistan.
On October 23, 2011, Mannu Mehmapuria of Jaggu’s gang was arrested by Counter Intelligence wing of Punjab with his aide and with a huge quantity of arms and ammunition, after an encounter in Bhogpur town in Jalandhar district.
In November 2019, while inside the jail, Jaggu threatened a senior leader who was a minister in the Akali Dal government. Besides, the Tarn Taran police booked him for running a heroin smuggling racket while inside Patiala Central Jail. A recent dossier by the police’s Organised Crime Control Unit (OCCU) says that the jailed gangster has 33 subordinates in and outside Punjab who take orders from him. Most of his subordinates are active in Tarn Taran, Amritsar and Gurdaspur districts.
In June 2018, Jaggu took responsibility for the murder of Congress councilor from Amritsar Gurdeep Singh Pehalwaan. However, the gang has said that the Congress councilor from Amritsar was responsible for Sangam Malhotra’s(a gangster) death. Gurdeep Pehalwaan was shot dead four days ago by three armed persons at Gole Bagh stadium.
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