In a major breakthrough against organised crime, Howrah City Police arrested three alleged members of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang from the Howrah railway station area late on Sunday night, officials said.
The arrested men have been identified as Karan Pathak, Tarandeep Singh and Akashdeep Singh, all residents of Punjab. Police sources said the trio is actively associated with the criminal syndicate led by Lawrence Bishnoi, which has been linked to several high-profile crimes in recent years.
Officers of Golabari police station conducted the operation following specific intelligence inputs. The accused were apprehended from within the station premises while allegedly attempting to flee the city.
Although gang leader Lawrence Bishnoi is currently lodged in jail, law-enforcement agencies say his network continues to operate across India and abroad. The gang has been linked to offences ranging from extortion and contract killings to issuing threats to prominent personalities, including actors and entertainers.
Also read: Wanted Bishnoi Gang fugitive deported from US, arrested
The syndicate has previously been named in connection with the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala and alleged threats to actor Salman Khan. More recently, it was accused of issuing threats to comedian Kapil Sharma and being linked to an attack on his cafe overseas.
Police officials said several serious criminal cases are pending against the arrested men and that the Punjab Police Special Task Force (STF) had been searching for them. Their names had surfaced during investigations into the murder of Punjabi Kabaddi player Rana Balachaur, who was shot dead on December 15.
Investigators revealed that after the murder, the accused fled Punjab and travelled to Kolkata via Gangtok, where they went into hiding. Police began tracking their movements after receiving information that they were planning to leave the city.
On Sunday night, intelligence inputs suggested that the trio was preparing to board a train from Howrah station to escape to another state. Acting swiftly on the alert shared by the Punjab Police STF, the Howrah City Police launched a coordinated operation and arrested the suspects before they could flee.
Police officials said legal formalities are underway to hand over the accused to the Punjab Police for further investigation.
Follow us
