3 juveniles nabbed for firing outside Dera Bassi diagnostics lab

Three juveniles, allegedly associated with the Kaushal Chaudhary gang, have been arrested for a firing incident that took place outside a diagnostics laboratory in Dera Bassi, Mohali, on Saturday. The trio was caught near the Dera Bassi bus stand on Sunday.

Police have recovered a country-made .32-bore revolver, three cartridges, including two live ones, and the bike used in the crime from their possession.

The three accused, aged between 16-17, study in the same class at a local government school. One of them was earlier involved in another firing case, during which he had come in contact with the US-based Lala Benipal, a close associate of gangster Chaudhary and a member of the Bhuppi Rana gang. The trio has been sent to a juvenile justice home.

Mohali senior superintendent of police (SSP) Sandeep Kumar Garg said prima facie it seems that the gang targeted the laboratory to extort money, but probe is on.

On Saturday, the trio, with their faces covered, had barged into Apollo Imaging and Path Lab and handed over a threat letter from the Kaushal Chaudhary gang to a doctor. After handing the note, the trio went out and one of them fired in the air before they sped away on the bike.

Contacted Chaudhary through US-based gangster Benipal

SSP Garg said that the juvenile who shot in the air is a 17-year-old hailing from Uttar Pradesh. He had earlier been involved in an attempt-to-murder case after he, along with four others, had fired at a resident of a Dera Bassi village in December last year over personal enmity. It was during this case that he had come in contact with US-based Lala Benipal, a close associate of Chaudhary gang. Harinder, the brother of Lala Benipal, was nominated in this case.

Investigators said that Harinder had planned and executed the attack on the target, Sahil, with the help of his brother Benipal.

After this incident, the juvenile wanted to get associated with a renowned gang and thus came in contact with Kaushal Chaudhary.

Probe revealed that Chaudhary, who is lodged in a Haryana jail, called the 17-year-old on Saturday at 10am and asked him to fire outside the said lab following which he, along with two others -- a Nepal native and another Uttar Pradesh native, committed the crime.

Juvenile was handed over bullets on Airport Road

The 17-year-old had bought the weapon used in the crime from UP. He had also used it for celebratory firing at a family function a few months ago.

“While he had the weapon, he asked Chaudhary to arrange bullets for the task. A heavily built member of the Kaushal gang met the juvenile on Airport Road and handed him the bullets. The other two juveniles had no criminal record but accompanied him at the time of the firing outside the lab.”