PANCHKULA: A Haryana Deputy Superintendent of police Rao Ranbir Singh and a constable were killed in an encounter with government near Surajpur on the KaIka Ambala highway on March no one had been arrested till April 1 in spite of a massive police operation’

More than 600 policemen were involved in the search for the four gunmen who had killed the DSP and his driver after a gun battle near Surajpur on KalkaAmbala: Highway on March 31. Army helicopter’s also searched the area but could not find any of the gunmen who were alleged to escape in the nearby forests.

Four gunmen in a blue Marti van were escaping towards Kalka after looting rupees 70,000 from Punjab Directorate of Agriculture in Chandigarh when they were engaged in the gun battle with the police.

The gunmen, two of them who were apparently injured, escaped into the forests around Surajpur which is being combed by the Haryana police with the help of army helicopters.

Police in surrounding areas were alerted after the robbery and the DSP was on his way to Kalka when he saw the van and followed. it,

The encounter took place near Surajpur trolley crossing on the main Pinjore Kalka road at 10:35 am. According to Satbir Singh Hooda the bodyguard of the deceased DiS.P., the gunmen were driving towards Kalka when they stopped near a tree. When the police asked them to open the trunk of their van. At this point there was a hail of fire and the DSP. as well as his driver where injured,

The whole incident took about two minutes, after which the gunmen fled,

A small, broken cash box, containing one rupee coin and two twenty paisa coins was lying near the police vehicle.

The gunmen abandoned’ the van near a railway line and escaped in the adjoining forest. One or two of the gunmen who were injured in this incident. They had apparently crossed four check barriers of the Haryana and Chandigarh police between sectors 34 were the robbery took place and. Surajpur.

They were not searched or stopped at any of these check barriers. Driver Ram Singh was later cremated at Kurkshetra on March 31 at his native village Jajanpur 18 miles from the city. S. N Vashist the superindent of police, Kurkshetra represented the police Nar Singh Dandha the state minister of Food and Supplies was also present.

Article extracted from this publication >>  April 7, 1989