Mohali: Quiet fields near Chapparchiri, Mohali, echoed with gunfire Monday morning as police closed in on a wanted Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) operative. What began as a covert surveillance mission turned into a high-voltage encounter that ended with Gurpreet Singh alias Gopi bleeding from a gunshot wound to the leg — and in custody.Acting on precise intelligence, a Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) team led by Inspector Harminder Singh laid a trap. As Gurpreet approached on a motorcycle, officers moved in. But instead of surrendering, he opened fire, spraying bullets at the police vehicle. Two rounds struck the car. Officers responded with warning shots—but when Gopi kept firing, they took the shot that brought him down, hitting him in the leg.Superintendent of police (SP) D Saurabh Jindal said Gurpreet was allegedly involved in firing outside a property dealer’s office in Mohali’s Aerocity area on July 10 as part of an extortion attempt. “Preliminary investigations have revealed that he was in contact with foreign-based terrorists who provided him with weapons and cash. The same weapon was used during the July 10 incident. Gopi along with Ashu had fired shots at realtor’s house while riding a motorcycle,” Jindal said. Police recovered .32 bore pistol from his possession.Jindal also confirmed that three of Gurpreet’s associates were arrested in connection with the case. While Sachin Kumar, a resident of Khanna, was arrested late Sunday night; Manpreet Singh alias Sunny, a resident of Amloh; and Rajinder Singh alias Ashu, also of Khanna, were arrested early Monday morning.A fresh FIR has been registered against Gurpreet at the Balongi police station for opening fire on the police. “Two bullets hit the police vehicle. Gopi fired 4-5 rounds at the police team. We initially fired warning shots into the air, but when he did not stop, we had to neutralise the threat and shot him in the leg,” Jindal said.While the three accomplices were produced in court and remanded to police custody, Gurpreet will be produced once he is discharged from the hospital, police said.Inspector Harminder Singh said the team laid a trap near Chapparchiri after receiving credible inputs. Gurpreet, who was on a motorcycle, was intercepted and asked to surrender. However, he opened fire, triggering a brief encounter.The arrest comes in the wake of the State Special Operation Cell’s (SSOC) crackdown on Babbar Khalsa operatives. On Sunday, Punjab Police claimed to have busted a Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) terror module operated by foreign-based handlers Maninder Billa and Manu Agwan with the arrest of three of the members involved in grenade attacks on police posts in Badshahpur in Patiala and Azimgarh in Haryana’s Kaithal district. The operation was jointly conducted by the counter intelligence (CI), Patiala, and the State Special Operation Cell (SSOC), SAS Nagar. The arrested accused have been identified as Sandeep Singh alias Deepu, a resident of Badshahpur in Patiala; Harpreet Singh alias Jagga, a resident of Harchandpura in Patiala; and Harmanpreet Singh alias Preet, a resident of Gurdialpura in Patiala.Gurpreet’s name surfaced during interrogation of the BKI suspects, leading to Monday’s operation.Gurpreet Singh has a criminal history, with at least four cases registered against him related to extortion and shootings. He has previously served time in jail, officials said. Police believe that further interrogation of the accused could help unravel a wider terror network operating within Punjab and its links abroad. Investigations are ongoing.
