Panchkula murder, robbery: Tip-off from UP police helps nab two gangsters

Panchkula: The Panchkula police on Friday arrested two gangsters involved in the January 30 robbery and murder at a Sector 20 showroom, here.

The two arrested have been identified as Hemant Kansal, a resident of Saini Vihar, Baltana, and Naveen Kumar of Sector 25, here. They were produced in a local court that sent them to five-day police custody.

Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Kamaldeep Goyal said the two were said to be the masterminds. Their nine aides were yet to be arrested.

He said, “We raided the hideouts of the two arrested gangsters in Panchkula following a tip-off from the UP police. They have direct involvement in the case, in which Panchkula resident Deepak was shot dead at point-blank range and his friend Manoj, also a Panchkula resident, suffered a bullet injury in his leg. The third man, Sunny, had jumped off the showroom window to save his life and fractured his legs. We believe that the accused have links with gangs in UP.”

Police said during their remand, they would interrogate them to ascertain the whereabouts of other accused.

On January 30, a group of 10 to 12 armed men had barged into the Sector 20 showroom, where four friends were playing card. According to the police, Vinod Kumar, who works as a financer and property dealer and ran his business from the showroom, was there with Deepak, Manoj and Sunny. He had told the police that the accused robbed them of gold jewellery, cash and other valuables worth Rs 15 lakh and before fleeing shot their friend Deepak in the head and Manoj in the leg. Sunny of Manimajra broke the windowpane and jumped out, said the police.

BOX

Jaguar accident

Panchkula DCP Kamaldeep Goyal said the UP police had brought a gangster, Rohit, along with them here to nab two of his gang members. The two were travelling in a Jaguar car in Panchkula on May 20. On being chased by the police, the car met with an accident and the two gangsters managed to escape. Panchkula police took the car in custody.

The DCP said, “The gang had committed a robbery in UP. During the interrogation of Rohit by UP police, he confessed to have committed the robbery and murder along with his accomplices in Panchkula’s Sector 20 on January 30. UP police gave us the names of his gang members and we traced their hideouts and arrested two — Hemant and Naveen — of them. Jaguar car bearing Chandigarh registration number was owned by Naveen. But Hemant and Naveen, a native of Jhajjar in Haryana, were not in the Jaguar car that day. Their accomplices were in the car.”