Gangster booked for issuing threats over phone from jail

Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, June 22

In another case of gangsters using mobile phones in jail to issue threats to their opponents or settle money disputes, the Faridkot police on Friday registered a criminal case against Harsimrandeep Singh alias Sema, one of the most wanted gangsters of the district, for issuing threats to a farmer at Behbal Kalan village.

Lodged in the Ludhiana jail for the past about six months after he was arrested from Dehradun on January 13, it is alleged that Sema made a phone call to Ram Charan Singh, a farmer of Behbal Kalan, on June 18, asking him to vacate his possession on about 2 acres near a national highway or the farmer and his brother would be killed.

This piece of land is a disputed property. It is alleged that the family of Sema Behbal purchased this disputed land from a family member of Ram Charan Singh in 2012.

While the police have started an investigation in the alleged phone call from the jail, a criminal case under Section 387 and 506 of the IPC (putting a person in fear of death or of grievous hurt, in order to commit extortion) has been registered against Sema on the basis of the complaint by Ram Charan Singh.

Belonging to Behbal Kalan village of Faridkot, Sema was being chased by the police after he allegedly killed Ravinder Kochhar, an industrialist in Jaito town in the district, in July last year.

He was declared a proclaimed offender by a local court two years ago.

Already facing four criminal cases, including two of murder, Sema and his unnamed accomplice were booked by the Jaito police under Sections 302 and 120-B of the IPC and Sections 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act in the Kochhar murder case.

Sema was the only absconding member of the Ranjit Singh-Gurbax Singh Sevewala gang. Three members of this gang — Karamjit Singh alias Bunty Dhillon (25), Jaspreet Singh alias Jumpy (21) and Nishan Singh alias Nishan (24) — were killed in the Dabwali area of Sirsa in an encounter with the police on June 13 last year.

Gurbax Singh, the head of this gang, was arrested from Bathinda soon after the encounter.

Dispute over land near national highway

• Lodged in the Ludhiana jail for the past about six months after he was arrested from Dehradun on January 13, it is alleged that Sema made a phone call to Ram Charan Singh, a farmer of Behbal Kalan, on June 18, asking him to vacate his possession on about 2 acres near a national highway or the farmer and his brother would be killed. 
• This piece of land is a disputed property.