3 accused linked to Dony Bal gang arrested in Punjab kabaddi player murder case

Key Highlights

• Acting on STF inputs that the suspects were attempting to escape, Kolkata Police laid a trap and detained them.
• Punjab Police had been tracking the accused across multiple cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, parts of West Bengal, Siliguri and Sikkim, before zeroing in on their location in Kolkata. TRIO'S ROLES IN THE CRIMEInvestigators said Karan Pathak was the shooter who opened fire on the kabaddi player, while Tarandeep Singh was riding the motorcycle used in the attack, and Akashdeep Singh had arranged accommodation for the accused after the murder. Police sources said the arrested men are associated with the notorious Dony Bal gang, believed to have links outside India. KABADDI PLAYER SHOT DEAD LAST MONTHRana Balachauria, a kabaddi player, was shot dead during a match in Punjab’s Mohali on December 15.
• According to investigators, the attackers approached him on a motorcycle under the pretext of taking a selfie before firing four to five bullets at close range. MASTERMIND KILLED IN ENCOUNTERTwo days after the killing, Punjab Police shot dead the alleged mastermind, Harpinder Singh, in an encounter.
• Police said Harpinder, a resident of Tarn Taran, opened fire at a police team using a pistol and was critically injured in retaliatory firing.
• He later died in hospital. Police had earlier arrested another accused, Aishdeep Singh, from Delhi airport.