Punjab police arrest two radicals, solve three murders

Punjab Police on Wednesday claimed to have solved the long pending cases of murder of two religious leaders, Paras Mani and Baba lakha Singh and a Dera Sacha Sauda follower, Gurdev Singh with the arrest of two radicals.

The two, identified as Ashok Kumar Vohra @ Amna Seth and lovepreet Singh @ lovely, were nabbed by the Counter-Intelligence team of Punjab Police after a hot chase at a Police check-point near Sodhi Nagar on Wednesday. A .32 bore revolver and a motorcycle, besides some radical literature and writings, have been recovered from their possession.

Subsequent inquiries revealed that the duo were involved in three murders that took place between 2014 and 2016.

While 29-year-old Paras Mani, head of Dera Baba Farid at Khukhrana village (district Moga), was gunned down in June 2014, Baba lakha Singh, a controversial religious preacher, was killed by the suspects in Hanumangarh district (Rajasthan) on Nov 23, 2016. They were also involved in the killing of Gurdev Singh, a Dera Sacha Sauda follower, in village Burj Jawahar Singh Wala (district Faridkot) on Jun 13, 2016.

A massive manhunt had been underway since then to apprehend Ashok. His photograph and his personal details had been publicized by the police through the media and on social media platforms.

The spokesperson said that preliminary investigations have revealed that the duo were highly radicalized killers and were indulging in targeted killings.  "Both Ashok Kumar Vohra and lovepreet Singh were trying to flee Punjab when they were apprehended. Further investigations are in progress," the spokesperson added.