Amritsar police get five more days to grill Bishnoi in Kandowalia murder case
An Amritsar court extended gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s police remand by five days, after police sought more time to interrogate him in gangster Rana Kandowalia murder case
An Amritsar court on Wednesday extended gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s police remand by five days, after the local police requested more time to interrogate him for the murder of gangster Ranbir Singh, alias Rana Kandowalia.
Bishnoi, who has been identified as the main conspirator in singer Sidhu Moose Wala’s murder, was brought to Punjab on June 15 on transit remand from Delhi, where he was lodged in the Tihar jail. A Mansa court on June 27 handed him over to the Amritsar City to probe the murder of Kandowalia, who was gunned down at a private hospital in the city last year.
According to police, Bishnoi played a “crucial role” in the murder, following which an Amritsar court gave them eight days to quiz him. As the period ended on Wednesday, he was again produced in court, which extended the gangster’s remand by five days, said deputy commissioner of police (DCP), law and order, Amritsar, Parminder Singh Bhandal.
“We need Bishnoi’s further remand as the investigation in Kandowalia murder case is still on. Apart from being quizzed in Amritsar, he will be sent to Kharar once again,” said Bhandal. The Punjab Police have been interrogating Bishnoi at the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) police station in Kharar ever since he was brought to the state. Even after the Amritsar City police got his remand on June 28, he was shifted back to Kharar, citing “security threat”.
Bhagwanpuria’s remand extended by five days
Gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, who is a key ally of the Bishnoi gang in Punjab’s Majha region and is also being quizzed in Moose Wala’s murder case after being brought on transit remand from Delhi, had claimed responsibility for killing rival gangster Kandowalia, hours after the crime in August last year.
A Mansa court on Wednesday extended his police remand till July 11 for further probe in Moose Wala’s case. The special investigation team (SIT) probing the high-profile murder produced Bhagwanpuri in court after his seven-day police remand ended on Wednesday.
The SIT sought his further seven-day custody, reasoning that he had to be quizzed along with Moose Wala’s alleged shooters, who were brought on transit remand from Delhi on Tuesday. However, the court of chief judicial magistrate extended the police remand by just five days.
Meanwhile, the SIT is busy grilling alleged shooters Priyavrat and Kashish after getting their eight-day remand from a Mansa court on Tuesday.
Mansa senior superintendent of police Gaurav Toora, who is also a SIT member, said they are hopeful of getting crucial information from the duo. “We will also bring the third shooter, Ankit Sirsa, from Delhi on production warrants,” he said.
The three alleged shooters were arrested by the Delhi Police from Gujarat. The remaining three identified shooters — including Manpreet Singh Mannu, who was allegedly the first to open fire at Moose Wala — are still evading arrest. According to sources, raids are being conducted at their possible hideouts in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
Police have also failed to recover the weapons used in the crime. According to sources, the shooters had handed them over to an unidentified man two days after the crime on May 29.
