Harwinder Singh alias Jugnu Walia, a close associate of gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari, was arrested by the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) of the Punjab Police from Mohali on Saturday. Walia was a notorious history-sheeter and was facing multiple criminal cases including murder, extortion, and attempt to murder. He was also wanted in several criminal cases in Uttar Pradesh, and the police had announced a reward of Rs 1 lakh for information leading to his arrest.
According to the Director General of Police, Gaurav Yadav, police teams from AGTF, led by ADGP Promod Ban and assisted by AIG Sandeep Goel, arrested Walia from Mohali based on reliable inputs. The police recovered one .32 caliber pistol along with six live cartridges, foreign currency worth lakhs, one Skoda car, and two walkie-talkie sets from his possession. An FIR has been registered against Walia under sections 25 (7,8) of the Arms Act and section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the state Crime Police Station.
Walia has 25 cases registered against him in Lucknow and is a history sheeter at the Alambagh police station in the state capital. He has been absconding for two years and is wanted in the murder case of a restaurant owner, Jaswinder Singh. Police officers said that Walia has cases against him at Alambagh, Hazratganj, and Manak Nagar police stations and that he has cases under several IPC sections and under the Gangsters’ Act. His properties worth crores have been attached over the last year or so by the administration as part of proceedings in the cases against him.
Jugnu Walia was also accused of murdering cloth merchant Amanpreet Singh in January 2019 and was arrested in the case. He was later released on bail but was accused of murdering a restaurant owner on October 28, 2021. Walia’s arrest is a significant development in the fight against organized crime in the region, and it is hoped that this will lead to the arrest of other gangsters and their associates.
