Chandigarh: The Punjab Police shot dead a man in an exchange of fire and arrested another for their alleged involvement in the killing of two police personnel in Gurdaspur, an officer said on Wednesday.
The action came after assistant sub-inspector Gurnam Singh and home guard Ashok Kumar were found dead on Sunday with gunshot wounds inside a checkpost in Adhian village, about 2 km from the International Border with Pakistan.
The bodies were discovered by Adhian village sarpanch Kamaljeet Singh around 8.15 am on Sunday.
The area where the bodies of the police personnel were found is a hotbed of heroin smuggling and arms drop-offs by drones from across the border. Posters allegedly issued by an outfit calling itself Tehreek-e-Taliban Hindustan circulated on social media, claiming responsibility for the killings.
A police official said that three people — Ranjit Singh (19), Inderjit Singh (21), and Dilawar Singh (19) — had killed the two police personnel at the behest of their Pakistan-based handlers backed by the spy agency ISI.
While one of the accused has died in the encounter and another has been arrested, the third accused is still at large, the officer said.
Speaking to reporters in Gurdaspur, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Border Range) Sandeep Goel said Dilawar Singh and Ranjit Singh were arrested in connection with the murders and found that they were in touch with Pakistan ISI handlers.
The trio were tasked by their Pakistan-based handlers to kill police personnel, Goel said, adding that Dilawar Singh was offered Rs 20,000 by his handlers for the task, and he had received Rs 3,000.
They were lured by money, he said, adding that Inderjit was facing three drug cases.
Goe told reporters that during interrogation, Ranjit had revealed the place where he had hidden the weapon used in the crime.
When a police team was taking Ranjit to recover the weapon, the car overturned near Galrhi village because of fog and the poor condition of the road. Taking advantage of the situation, Ranjit managed to flee, and the police sounded a red alert in the area, Goel said.
Later, a police team signalled a motorcycle to stop near Purana Shala area on the Gurdaspur-Mukerian road, but the rider tried to speed away and opened fire, the officer said, adding that police shot Ranjit in retaliation around 6:30 am.
He was taken to the Civil Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries, the DIG added. A police personnel sustained a bullet wound in his arm in the exchange of fire, while a pistol, four empty cartridges, two live rounds and a motorcycle were seized from the spot.