Teja Mehandipuria, Two Other Gangsters Shot Dead in Police Encounter in Fatehgarh Sahib

Three gangsters have been shot dead in a police encounter at Bassi Pathana in Fatehgarh Sahib district. Wanted gangsters Teja Mehandipuria and Manpreet Peeta are among the two deceased. They were involved in the murder of Const. Kuldeep Singh Bajwa last month.

The encounter took place at Bassi Pathana in Fatehgarh Sahib district on Wednesday when the three gangsters started indiscriminately shooting at the police and the civilians. According to a source, “The gangster, as per our information has procured abundant arms and ammunition. He was in Punjab and another crime was in the offing.” The police asked them to surrender but they opened fire.

By the end of the encounter, a Thar jeep was left at the scene with bullet holes and shattered windows. Another SUV was damaged at the front as seen in videos shared in the media. The police made announcements to people to stay indoors. Sub-inspector Gurpreet Singh and Const. Sukhraj were injured in the encounter. One of them received a bullet wound and was rushed to a hospital.

Two of the three gangsters were identified as Teja Mehandipuria and Manpreet Peeta. The third is said to be Nishant, but his complete identity is unclear at this point. They were involved in the January 8 murder of Const. Kuldeep Singh Bajwa. A police team was chasing gangsters who had robbed a car at gunpoint in Phillaur’s Kangjagir village. Bajwa was part of the team and during the chase, the gangsters fired at the police party and a bullet pierced through Bajwa. He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead during treatment.

Teja was involved in more than 40 criminal cases in Punjab including murder, robbery and attempt to murder. Teja was released from Bathinda jail on bail on November 16 last year. He then jumped bail and met up with other gangsters and allegedly planned to target religious leaders, political leaders, and members of rival gangs.

Vineet Washington