HDFC Bank dacoity: Prime suspect arrested after a brief exchange of gunfire in Tarn Taran

Amritsar rural police announced today that they have successfully solved the bank dacoity case at the HDFC branch in Manjhwind village, under the Kathunangal police station jurisdiction, that occurred on September 18. The breakthrough came with the arrest of the prime suspect after a brief exchange of gunfire in the Goindwal Sahib area of Tarn Taran on Friday.

The suspect, identified as Kashmir Singh alias Sheeru from Hansawala village in Goindwal Sahib, was apprehended following retaliatory firing by the police, resulting in a bullet injury to his right knee. Singh, who is implicated in multiple bank dacoities across Amritsar, Tarn Taran, and Sultanpur Lodhi, is currently receiving treatment at Guru Nanak Dev Hospital.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Charanjit Singh shared details of the operation at a press conference. "After more than three weeks of intense investigation, the Kathunangal police and CIA staff received a tip-off about Kashmir Singh's presence in the Mand area of Tarn Taran. Acting swiftly, police teams located him. Upon seeing the officers, Singh opened fire, but the police retaliated, leading to his injury and subsequent arrest. A weapon was recovered from his possession," said SSP Singh.

In addition to Kashmir Singh, the police also arrested Paramjit Singh alias Sonu, also from Hansawala village, for harboring the suspect. Paramjit Singh has a prior bank dacoity case against him in Sultanpur Lodhi. Another associate, Satnam Singh, was previously detained for providing shelter to the suspect. The police have identified other accomplices, Baldev Singh from Nanaksar Mohalla and Karanbir Singh Kannu, and are conducting extensive raids to capture them.

Kashmir Singh faces six charges of a similar nature and has been declared a proclaimed offender (PO) in some cases.

Police investigations revealed that it took ten days of intensive effort, including reviewing footage from around 220 CCTV cameras in the Amritsar and Tarn Taran areas, to identify the suspects. Preliminary findings indicate that Singh paid Rs 4 lakh to an immigration agent to attempt to flee the country using a fake identity, part of which was transferred to a bank account now frozen by the authorities.

The gang is also suspected of extorting money from traders by posing as gangsters, further investigations revealed.