2 aides of Bishnoi arrested after shootout

Derabassi: A quiet PG turned into a war zone as Mohali police, in a high-voltage joint operation with the anti-gangster task force, stormed a hideout and arrested two associates of the notorious Lawrence Bishnoi gang.

The dramatic encounter ended with one gangster shot and another in custody.Acting on a tip-off, the police zeroed in on a PG in Derabassi where Sumit Bishnoi, a Rs 50,000 reward-listed fugitive wanted for a brutal murder in Hanumangarh, Rajasthan, was hiding. As officers reached the first floor and demanded the door be opened, the suspects responded with gunfire.In a swift counterattack, police returned fire, injuring Sumit in the leg.

He was immediately rushed to the civil hospital while his associate, Pankaj Malik of Sonipat, was arrested on the spot.

Sumit, the prime accused in the May 18 daylight murder of a 35-year-old youth in Hanumangarh, had been on the run for weeks. Investigators revealed he had been plotting another crime in Punjab, using Derabassi's strategic location for a quick escape to Haryana, Delhi, or Himachal.The PG had been his hideout for the past 15 days.

A 32-bore pistol and four live rounds were recovered from the scene.Police sources confirmed that surveillance teams from Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan had been tracking Sumit's movements. His arrest marks a significant breakthrough in the crackdown on organized crime in the region.Previous encounterOn April 12, Mohali police arrested two associates of gangster Goldy Brar after a brief exchange of gunfire at Derabassi. One gangster was hit by a bullet and was admitted to the civil hospital. The accused were identified as Kirat Singh, a resident of Naryanagarh, Haryana, and Deepak, a resident of Derabsssi