Gangster Teja, 2 aides shot in encounter; two cops injured

Tribune News Service

Aman Sood

Fatehgarh Sahib, February 22

Three gangsters were shot dead in an encounter with the police near the Bassi Pathana bus stand in Fatehgarh Sahib district on Wednesday. One of the slain gangsters has been identified as Teja Mehandpuria while the identity of his two accomplices was yet to be established.

Two police personnel, Sub-Inspector Gurpreet Singh and constable Sukhraj, were injured in the gunfight and have been admitted to a hospital, an official said.

A team of the Punjab Police’s Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) is learnt to have been trailing Teja and his associates, who were travelling in a Thar jeep, following leads that he was active in the area. Sources said the operation was code-named “Fast-track” after ‘Teja’ (fast) and the idea was to arrest him.

Facing trial in more than 35 cases, including of murder and robbery, Teja and his accomplices were allegedly involved in the January 8 killing of constable Kuldeep Singh Bajwa in Phillaur. The policeman was part of a team chasing gangsters who had robbed a car at gunpoint in Kangjagir village.

AGTF chief Pramod Ban, AIG Sandeep Goel and DSP Bikramjit Brar led the operation. “We were following the gangsters who were involved in the delivery of weapons and were also wanted in the Phillaur case,” said Ban.

Goel said the gangsters were heavily armed and when told to surrender, they started firing indiscriminately at the police and passersby. “It was a narrow escape for our team members too,” he said.

The police had cordoned off the area and made announcements for nearby people to stay indoors. After the encounter, the Thar was left abandoned on a roadside with over a dozen bullet marks on it.

Belonging to Mehandpur village at Balachaur in Nawanshahr district, Teja was lodged in Bathinda jail and was released on bail on November 16 last year. He jumped bail and got reunited with his gang members. They allegedly planned to target religious and political leaders and rival gangsters, said an official.

Involved in training criminals and recruiting youngsters into the gang, Teja allegedly committed his first murder when he was a minor, an official said, adding his parents had been living separately. His brother has been undergoing a 10-year imprisonment in Ferozepur jail in a drug peddling case.

“Two police officials injured and three gangsters neutralised in defence by AGTF in encounter in Bassi Pathana,” Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav tweeted.

How it all unfolded

4 pm: AGTF gets a tip-off

4.15 pm: Team zeroes in on SUV

4.30 pm: Tries to intercept Teja

4.45 PM: Traced to Bassi Pathana

5 pm: Gangsters’ SUV intercepted, trio opens fire

5.05 pm: Cops retaliate, kill trio Encounter lasts seven minutes

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Tribune News Service

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