Manminder Singh alias Mindi, brother of slain gangster Rupinder Gandhi, was gunned down by two assailants on Sunday morning near his house in Rasoolra village in Khanna of which he was a former sarpanch.
LUDHIANA – Hours after being booked for the murder of Manminder Singh alias Mindi, brother of slain gangster Rupinder Gandhi, on Monday, gangster Gurjot Garcha of Dhandhari put up a Facebook post purportedly taking responsibility for the crime.
According to the police, Mindi had slapped Garcha at a wedding two years ago when a gunshot had also hit the latter during a fight; and Garcha, who is in Canada, hatched the murder conspiracy for revenge. Mindi was gunned down by two assailants on Sunday morning near his house in Rasoolra village in Khanna of which he was a former sarpanch.
Garcha, facing trial in three cases including one for attempt to murder, is a member of the gang originally established by Ravi Khwajke, who was gunned down last year. Earlier, he was a member of the Gandhi group and had even promoted a film — ‘Rupinder Gandhi: The gangster’ — that took a charitable view of his life.
In the Facebook post, Garcha purportedly said that he and his accomplice Harwinder Singh, alias Rinda Sandhu, killed Mindi. The Khanna police have for now booked Garcha and two unnamed accomplices. Police, interestingly, are not sure about the involvement of Rinda Sandhu, as officers feel Garcha may be using his name for distraction. The Facebook post by the account in Garcha’s name urges the police to not “harass” his friends.
The post accuses Mindi of using the name of his brother Rupinder Gandhi and his friends for his “personal gains”. He alleged that “for cheap publicity”, Mindi has appointed Gandhi Group Student Union leaders at the school level.
Garcha’s post also accused the police of implicating him in a false case in past; and threatened people who mourned Mindi’s death.
Khanna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Navjot Singh Mahal said the police have already identified the accused and booked him in the case. “After he came to know that he has been booked he posted it on Facebook,” he said. “Including the name of Rinda Sandhu is a tactic by Gurjot Garcha to distract the police,” the SSP claimed, ruling out use of contract killers in the crime. “Garcha has used his accomplices in the killing.”
The murder is being linked to an incident of December 6, 2015, when Ravi Khwajke and the Mindi group got into a scuffle during a wedding in Khanna. Mindi reportedly slapped Garcha in public. A man identified as Kala, a close accomplice of Mindi, pounced on Garcha, who shot Kala in the leg. When Kala did not let him go despite being injured, Khwajke opened fire and the bullet accidentally hit Garcha.
He was admitted to Christian Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) for treatment, but Khwajke and his accomplices took him away after holding the hospital staff captive. However, his leg never cured and he held a grudge against Mindi.
