Snatcher fires at police party in Majitha, held

Tribune News Service
Amritsar, June 24

The Majitha police have nabbed a snatcher while his accomplices managed to escape after firing at the police party at a checkpoint in Majitha here on Wednesday.

The accused had snatched Rs45,000 from a finance firm employee in Kotla Tarkhana village hours before his arrest.

The case

When Baljit Singh, who works with a finance firm in Batala, was collecting instalments from clients, two unidentified persons snatched Rs45,000 from him at gunpoint around 4.30 pm and fled towards Majitha. An alert was sounded and nakas installed in Majitha, during which two bike-borne persons were signalled to stop. Instead of stopping the motorcycle, the accused fired at the police party. They starting chasing them and arrested Bika who was equipped with a country-made pistol. His accomplice Raja, however, managed to flee.

He has been identified as Bikramjit Singh, alias Bikka, of Kotla. Raja, a resident of Rasul Kalar village, near Vallah vegetable market in Amritsar, accompanied him in the crime. The police have seized a country-made pistol from him. Two separate cases of snatching and murder attempt were registered against them at Kathunangal and Majitha police station here, respectively.

Baljit Singh, who works with a finance firm in Batala, informed the police that he was collecting instalments from their clients and had reached at the residence of Manjit Kaur for the same. He said when he reached there, two unidentified persons entered the house and snatched Rs45,000 from him at gunpoint and fled towards Majitha. The incident occurred around 4.30 pm.

Following the information, an alert was sounded and nakas installed in Majitha, during which two bike-borne persons were signalled to stop. ASI Jagdeep Singh said the accused, instead of stopping the motorcycle, fired at the police party which escaped narrowly. The police team starting chasing them. A few meters away, they fell from the bike. The two accused started running into the fields. The police chased Bika who was equipped with a country-made pistol. The police overpowered and arrested him, while Raja managed to flee towards Naag village.

While the Kathunangal police have registered a case under Sections 379-B (2) and 34 of the IPC and Arms Act, the Majitha police have filed an FIR under Sections 307, 353, 186 of the IPC and Sections 25, 54, 59 of the Arms Act against them.

ASI Jagdeep said Bika was produced in court and brought on police remand. Preliminary probe found that he already had a criminal case against him. Further probe is underway.