Chandigarh, Jan 25: An associate of Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar gang has been arrested in connection with the firing incident in Dera Bassi in Punjab, police said on Saturday.

The accused has been identified as Mehfuj, alias Vishal Khan, a resident of Dera Bassi.

Police teams have also recovered one .32 calibre pistol along with five cartridges from his possession.

In a post on social media platform X, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said: “In a major breakthrough, Punjab Police’s Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) in a joint operation with Mohali Police has apprehended an associate of Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar gang.”

DGP Yadav said the accused, along with another member of Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar gang identified as Manjeet, currently lodged in Tihar Jail, were the masterminds behind the firing incident in Dera Bassi.

As per the information, on September 19, 2024, two motorcycle-borne youths in broad daylight opened fire outside the immigration centre in Dera Bassi to demand extortion from the owner.

Sharing operational details, Additional Director General of Police with the AGTF Promod Ban said information based on human intelligence was received about possible hideouts and locations of accused Vishal Khan.

Acting swiftly, special teams of AGTF under the supervision of AIG Gurmeet Chauhan in coordination with Senior Superintendent of Police (Mohali) Deepak Pareek were formed, said the ADGP, adding the teams zeroed in on the possible hideouts and locations and arrested him from Punjab-Haryana border near Barwala and also recovered a pistol from his possession.

Assistant Inspector General Gurmeet Chauhan said the accused has a criminal history and ever since 2023, he has been working on the directions of foreign-based terrorist Goldy Brar.

The arrested accused has also collected a weapons consignment from the notorious gangster Joginder, alias Joga, of Haryana, who had provided weapons and logistical assistance to the accused involved in the Sidhu Moosewala murder case and later, was also arrested, he added.

Mumbai: Political leader Waris Pathan has expressed doubts over the attack on Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan. He recently shared a video statement, urging the Mumbai Police officials as well as the actor’s family to address the public’s concerns. Ever since Saif got discharged from Lilavati Hospital, netizens raised doubts about his swift recovery, calling it ‘too good to be true.’

It has been nine days since the attack, however, several questions of public, concerning security measures and the attacker, remain unanswered.

Amid this, Waris Pathan shared a video statement, demanding clarity on the horrifying incident and urging transparency in the investigation from Mumbai Police.

‘Saif Ali Khan Hospital Se Haste Khelte Bahar Aa Raha Hai’

“We condemn attack on Saif Ali Khan. In a city like Mumbai, in a place like Bandra, a man climbs 12 floors and enters his house. He attacks him with a knife. He goes to the hospital. Saif Ali Khan gets his treatment done there. The doctor says that he took out a 2.5-inch knife. And the police posted a photo a few days ago that a man was coming down the stairs. This could be the attacker. And then the police arrested someone… Later, people started asking questions on social media. First of all, how did someone climb 12 floors? And the photos that people were showing, they said that these are completely different photos,” he is heard saying in the video.

“Secondly, Saif went to the hospital…he was treated in Lilavati. And if such a major operation was done by a doctor, and he took out a 2.5-inch knife. Post such a major surgery, he comes out walking joyfully from the hospital after 3-4 days (haste khelte bahar aa raha hai)..good we want him recover soon. But a lot of things are coming to people’s minds. They are asking me if there’s something being hidden. Why isn’t the police telling us what it is? We would like the police to come forward and say what the reality is. What happened that night? Police should clarify that. The family should clarify what happened. Why did this happen? Why did Saif go to the hospital in an auto? We will pray for his health. He should get well soon. But there are a lot of things that people want to know,” he added.

On a concluding note, he mentioned in the video, “People have the right to know. He is a film star. He was attacked in a city like Mumbai. So we would like the police and the administration to come forward and tell the people the whole truth so that all the doubts that are arising in people’s minds can be stopped.”

The investigation

The Bandra police produced the accused, Shariful Islam, 30, in the metropolitan magistrate court on Friday (January 24). Meanwhile, the court extended his custody till January 29.

Investigating Officer (IO) Ajay Lingurkar told the court that they recovered the weapon but still need to investigate where and from whom the accused bought it. The officer added that Shariful’s facial recognition process needs to be conducted, and the shoes worn by him on the day of the incident need to be recovered and matched with his size. Additionally, they need to investigate his other associates. The officer further stated that the accused has been evading questions and not cooperating with the investigation.

Saif was attacked in the wee hours of January 16 at his Bandra apartment.

Vadodara, Jan 25: Illegal foreign liquor, valued at Rs 25.83 lakh, has been seized from a tempo in Chanod of Gujarat’s Vadodara district.

Acting on specific intelligence regarding the transportation of illegal foreign liquor from Tilakwada to Vadodara, Gujarat State Monitoring Cell’s Police Inspector HV Tadvi conducted a raid in Chanod with his teams.

They spotted a suspicious tempo near a godown in Chanod and searched it.

Upon inspection, the teams discovered the liquor concealed in the tempo.

The driver of the tempo, identified as Ajitkumar Hriday Narayan Singh, a resident of Ankleshwar, Bharuch, was arrested.

Singh was transporting the illegal cargo from Tilakwada to Vadodara.

In addition to the liquor, the authorities also seized cash, mobile phones, and vehicles, bringing the total value of the seized goods to Rs 39.31 lakh.

The SMC has declared Suresh Patel, the individual who sent the liquor, the tempo owner, and the person who ordered the liquor, as wanted.

This raid comes amidst multiple actions by the State Monitoring Cell over the past month, targeting illegal liquor trade in both Vadodara city and district.

Despite these frequent raids, local police have come under scrutiny, with some alleging that they have failed to take sufficient action against bootleggers.

In 2024, Gujarat authorities seized foreign liquor worth over Rs 100 crore during various raids across the state. This included seizures in major cities like Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, and rural areas like Panchmahals and Bharuch.

Foreign liquor, including high-end brands, has been smuggled into the state through neighbouring Maharashtra and Rajasthan.

Raids targeting these illegal shipments have been a regular feature of Gujarat’s law enforcement activities.

In 2023, more than 200 individuals were arrested for illegal liquor trade in Gujarat. These included bootleggers, suppliers, and distributors involved in the smuggling and distribution of alcohol in areas where it is prohibited.