Gangster shot by rival gang , 6 armed cops fail to retaliate

Jalandhar, January 21

A criminal, Sukha Kahlwan, was shot dead in the presence of six policemen allegedly by a rival gang at Paddi Khalsa village near Goraya today. He was being taken to Nabha jail after a court hearing in Jalandhar.

Kahlwan was facing more than 40 cases of murder, dacoity and robbery in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.

The role of the policemen accompanying Sukha has come under the scanner as they failed to fire even a single shot in retaliation. They were carrying two carbines with adequate ammunition.

Sources said after a long chase around 4:30 pm, unidentified assailants travelling in a black Endeavour car shot at and flattened a tyre of the police Gypsy that carried Kahlwan. The moment the policemen alighted from the vehicle, the assailants fired over a dozen bullets at Sukha.

Sources said the rival gang only left after ensuring Sukha was dead.

Kunwar Vijay Pratap, Deputy Inspector General, Jalandhar range, confirmed the police did not fire in retaliation. He said an inquiry had been ordered into the case.

“We are trying to identify the gang behind the attack. An inquiry has been initiated to look into why the armed police team failed to respond,” he said.

Hailing from Kahlwan village near Kartarpur, Sukha entered the world of crime in 2008. Starting with small-time thefts and snatchings, he hit headlines in 2010 when his name figured in the high-profile murder case of Gurdarshan Singh Dhillon, BJP’s Phagwara unit chief.

The Punjab Police arrested Sukha from Delhi in 2012, but he escaped from custody in Ropar while being taken for a court hearing.

Sukhha was once attacked by his rivals in Rajasthan, an incident that had left his two accomplices dead. He survived another attack when one of his aides, Yameen, stabbed him and considering him dead, threw him into the Yamuna at Kanpur.

In 2012, he was arrested by the West Bengal police from Howrah. He also remained in the Haryana Police’s custody — had robbed a Hisar jeweller of 4-kg gold — for some time, before being handed over to the Punjab Police in 2013.

Lodged in Kapurthala jail, he had landed the prison staff in trouble by uploading two videos on his Facebook fan page titled ‘Sukha Kahlon sharp shooter’. He then posted a violent video of him brutally beating up a fellow prisoner.

Sukha’s fan page, created in early 2013, has over 25,000 followers, and is full of violent comments and photos glorifying gun culture. He was then shifted to the Nabha Jail and was lodged there ever since.

Tragic end

• Sukha Kahlwan was shot dead allegedly by a rival gang at Paddi Khalsa village near Goraya on Wednesday
• Was being taken to Nabha jail after a court hearing in Jalandhar
• Faced more than 40 cases of murder, dacoity and robbery in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan
• He belonged to Kahlwan village near Kartarpur
• Entered the world of crime in 2008 with small-time thefts and snatchings
• Hit headlines in 2010 when his name appeared in the murder case of Gurdarshan Singh Dhillon, BJP's Phagwara unit president