n a significant breakthrough, Punjab Police's Counter Intelligence (CI) Ludhiana, in collaboration with Ludhiana Commissionerate Police, has arrested Mukul Mishra — a suspect wanted in the murder case of Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Vikas Bagga. The case, under investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), marked a crucial step in the ongoing drive to secure Punjab as directed by the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

Vikas Bagga, a shopkeeper and VHP Nangal Mandal leader, was shot dead by two masked assailants at his shop on railway road in Nangal on April 13. The attackers fled on a black scooter, sparking a months-long investigation. The assailants—one wearing a helmet and the other having face covered with muffler—came on a black scooty.

The arrest came four months after the earlier apprehension of the two shooters — Mandeep Kumar alias Mangi and Surinder Kumar alias Rikka — along with the recovery of two .32 bore Pistols and scooty used in the crime. Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav credited the arrest to “excellent teamwork and scientific investigation, including tracking financial trails and intelligence inputs”. He said that CI Ludhiana shared inputs with the Ludhiana Commissionerate Police and jointly launched an operation spread across Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir which led to Mishra’s arrest.

Mukul Mishra, a resident of Gonda district in Uttar Pradesh, is believed to have facilitated the payment for the weapons used in Bagga’s murder. The police have also identified two additional suspects from Uttar Pradesh, intensifying their efforts to apprehend them.

Mishra is also implicated in another case involving robbery and arms charges. The Punjab Police remains committed to tracking down all involved as investigations continue.