Three gangster aides held in Batala double-murder case

Three key operatives linked to foreign-based fugitive gangster Happy Jatt, wanted in the Batala double-murder case, have been arrested from the Indo-Bhutan border in West Bengal. They were trying to flee to Bhutan, Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said here on Wednesday.

The operation, codenamed “Operation Nest Wrecker”, was jointly conducted by the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF), the Overseas Fugitive Tracking and Extradition Cell (OFTEC) headed by Inspector General of Police Ashish Choudhary and the Batala police.

Those arrested have been identified as Jatin Singh, a resident of Kathunangal in Amritsar; Sajandeep Singh of Sangar Kot village in Tarn Taran; and Mehakdeep Singh of Balia Manjpur in Amritsar. Jatin Singh already faces criminal cases under the Arms Act and NDPS Act.

The arrests follow an attack on April 27 in which four unidentified bikers opened fire on three persons at Bhoma village in Batala around 9 pm. Two persons succumbed to bullet injuries, while the third was injured.

Preliminary investigations revealed the accused were acting on the directions of Happy Jatt. They executed the killings on his orders, the DGP said. The accused had been constantly changing location to evade arrest, he added. Further investigation was underway to uncover the conspiracy, including financial links, logistical support, weapon procurement and the role of other associates.

Additional Director General of Police (AGTF) Promod Ban said police teams from the AGTF, Batala, and intelligence and technical units jointly analysed CCTV footage from multiple locations following the incident. Technical footprints and intelligence inputs confirmed the movement of the accused towards the international border, following which a team was dispatched to arrest and bring them back to Punjab.