Hooch tragedy accused chased in Batala’s narrow lanes, arrested

Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Batala, August 4

After learning that a bootlegger named Dharmendra would “do business” in the narrow lanes of Hathi gate on Monday night, DSP (City) Parvinder Kaur dispatched a cop, posing as a decoy customer.

She stationed herself at the end of the 100-metre-long narrow street knowing that the accused would run in the opposite direction, if at all he smelt danger.

Dharmendra got suspicious when he was approached by the decoy and started running across the street. After running for nearly 100 metres, he came in front of the DSP, who tripped him down. The moment he fell on the ground, he was surrounded by the officer’s body guards. He was arrested.

In the raids conducted late Monday night, the cops were successful in arresting four persons involved in the trade. They have been identified as Heera of Bank colony, Badal of Hathi gate, Harpreet Happy of Mian Pandher village and Dharmendra of Hathi gate. Total eight persons have been arrested in the hooch tragedy case so far.

SSP Rachpal Singh confirmed the arrests and said the cops were on the lookout for more persons.

In Batala police district, the tragedy has claimed 13 lives so far. On August 1, the cops had arrested the kingpin identified as Triveni Chauhan, her son Johnny, Darshana ‘Faujan’ and her son Rajan.

Sources say the police have more clues about the whereabouts of several bootleggers and had extended their network far and wide. “More arrests will be made in the next few days. We are questioning all four suspects and will conduct raids once we finish with our investigations,” said Parvinder Kaur.