JALANDHAR
In a breakthrough, the Jalandhar rural police have arrested a key accomplice of Canada-based gangster Amritpal Singh Bath, who was wanted in connection with the January 2024 murder of AAP leader Sunny Cheema from Patti.
The arrested accused has been identified as Jagdeep Singh Gill, alias Tholu a resident of the Tarn Taran district.
The Senior Superintendent of Police Jalandhar (rural) Harkamal Preet Singh Khakh told media that the accused was apprehended following a tip-off while traveling from SBS Nagar to Phillaur en route to Tarn Taran. A police team led by Phillaur SHO Sukhdev Singh intercepted the accused at a check post near Phillaur.
The accused is wanted in FIR No. 04, dated February 14, 2024, registered at Jhabal police station in Tarn Taran under sections 302 (murder), 34 (common intention), 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC and section 25 of the Arms Act.
A .32 bore pistol and a car were recovered from his possession, leading to the registration of a fresh case under the Arms Act. "Following the recovery of the illegal weapon, we have registered a case under section 25(1)(a) of the Arms Act at Phillaur police station," SSP Khakh said.
During interrogation, the accused revealed that he had acted on direct instructions from Bath, who is currently based in Canada. After executing the crime, Gill followed an elaborate escape plan, first fleeing to Thailand, then moving to Dubai, before entering Nepal. He then stayed in Uttar Pradesh for some time before taking shelter at his in-laws' house in Ambala, where he was finally traced by the police.
The accused helped transport two shooters to the site where Cheema was murdered and Bath personally guided his escape plan after the crime, said SSP Khakh.
The police are now focusing on identifying the main shooters and other accomplices involved in the crime. Investigators are also probing the network that aided Gill's escape and tracking the money trail.