BATHINDA: Bathinda Police have arrested 6 persons including two from Indian Army after a brief encounter. They were wanted by the police in a case of snatching committed at gunpoint using assault rifle AK 47 stolen from the Indian Army unit at Jammu. Police has yet to verify the claims made by two of them to be serving in the army and one of them facing inquiry by the army over theft of the assault rifle.
As per information, six persons had reached Green Hotel at Bhucho near Bathinda on the evening of March 11 and out of 6, the three had gone inside and snatched Rs 7000 from hotel owner Luv Kumar. The police had registered an FIR against unknown persons and on Friday got a tip off that the accused persons have been seen at Bathinda-Bhucho road.
Bathinda SP City Narinder Singh said that a police party acted as per tip off and when tried to reach near the accused one of them fired a gun shot at the police party which hit the vehicle. The police in retaliation fired two shots and one of them hit one of the accused identified as Satwant in the leg. Police succeeded in arresting all the six in the vehicle who were identified as injured Satwant, Arshdeep, Hargun, Arsh and Sunil and Gurdeep. Sunil and Gurdeep claimed to be serving in Indian Army respectively at Jammu and Srinagar as Sunil claimed to have stolen the weapon from Jammu but presently on leave and having stolen the vehicle from their place of posting at Jammu before coming on leave.
SP said police are still to verify the claims as contact is being made with army authorities.