Punjab police arrest kingpin of interstate "highway robbers gang" after exchange of fire

Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], November 18 : Punjab police arrested the kingpin of a "highway robbers/snatchers gang" after a brief exchange of fire with police near Lehli village in Mohali district, officials said on Sunday.
The accused was identified as Satpreet Singh alias Satti, a resident of Dandrala in SAS Nagar.
A .32 calibre pistol along with five live cartridges was recovered from his possession, Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav said.
Police teams have also impounded the Platina motorcycle he was riding, police said.
DGP Gaurav Yadav said that the accused has a criminal history with criminal cases pertaining to snatching and robbery registered against him.
The Satti's gang primarily targeted halted vehicles on Ambala-Dera Bassi highway and was involved in multiple robberies/snatching incidents in Punjab and Haryana, he added.
He said that preliminary investigations have revealed that the accused Satti along with his other three associates, was involved in two late-night robberies/snatching that took place on the Highway on November 3 and 10, 2024 in which cash, mobile and gold ornaments were robbed at gunpoint in Lalru area of Sub-Division Dera Bassi.
The DGP said that further investigations are ongoing to identify and arrest his other associates.
Sharing operation details, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) SAS Nagar Deepak Pareek said that during the investigation of the robbery/snatching incidents, credible information about this robbers gang headed by Satti was received that corresponded with the facts and the evidence gathered in the recent late-night incidents at Lalru.
A team led by DSP Dera Bassi Bikramjit Singh Brar worked on human and technical inputs and traced Satti's movement near village Lehli, he said, while adding that when police teams were chasing accused Satti, who was riding the motorcycle, the latter opened fire on the police team.
The SSP said that three fire shots hit the official police vehicle and in the retaliation fire by police teams, accused Satti sustained a bullet injury on his right leg. Further investigation is ongoing to identify and arrest other associates of Satti, he said.
A case has been registered under sections 109, 132 and 221 of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and section 25 of the Arms Act at Police Station Lalru, he added.