In connection with the shootout incident outside Roorkee jail between two notorious Cheenu Pandit and Sunil Rathi gangs, resulting in three deaths on Tuesday, Haridwar police are yet to make any headway and the accused- Sachin, Devpal, Sushil Gujjar, Arvind and Satish who have been absconding since the crime remain untraced till date.
As these criminals are also wanted in New Delhi and (western) Uttar Pradesh as well as some other neighbouring States for their alleged involvement in several shootout cases, resulting in death of many persons earlier, Uttarakhand police have sought help from Delhi Crime Branch and police heads of western Uttar Pradesh to trace the location of these criminals, said State Additional Director General of Police Ram Singh Meena on Friday.
The district police have formed several teams, including Special Operation Group and Special Task Force, to get into the bottom of the case.
The teams are being deployed at various places across the state and the neighbouring districts of Uttar Pradesh to nab the criminals. The police officers have been directed to ensure that the works entrusted to these teams in regard to this case are completed within the stipulated time- frame. Their assigned works would be reviewed on daily basis, it is learnt.
Meanwhile, ADGP Meena, who had earlier inspected the incident site along with Garhwal Range DIG Amit Sinha, said that the accused have been identified. During investigation, police had recovered a mobile phone of the accused Sunil Rathi. Sunil had confessed in course of grilling that he had used that particular phone inside the jail premises that day, he added. Its call details revealed that the accused Rathi had firmed up the strategy to do in Cheenu Pandit, he said, adding that he had ordered a probe into lapses in security arrangements inside and outside the jail premises.
He further said that the mystery of the mobile phone having found its way inside the jail despite the families and relatives of the inmates being frisked at many places before they are allowed entry and the stringent, round the clock vigilance inside and outside the jail would be probed into and unraveled in due course.
“Moreover, the question as to why the armed PAC jawans deployed at the public gate where incident took place had not fired on criminals who fired indiscriminately and escaped unhurt from the scene is also being investigated by the police,” he added. Meena further said that police officers have been asked to step up security at many places, including jails, across the district. “Moreover, a case under sections 147, 148, 149, 307, 302 and 120b of IPC against Sunil Rathi, Rajbala, Sachin, Devpal, Sushil Gujjar,Arvind and Satish were registered in the Gangnahar–Roorkee- police station on Wednesday. All possible measures have been taken to arrest the accused. District police are also in touch with their counterparts from neighbouring districts of UP to have the culprits brought to book,” he added.