MOHALI, Jan 17 — Karan Pathak, a 23-year-old sharpshooter known as “Karan Defaulter,” was shot dead in a police encounter early Saturday morning near Rurki Kham village on Airport Road. The encounter followed a six-hour manhunt after Pathak, the prime suspect in the high-profile murder of kabaddi promoter Rana Balachauria, managed to flee from police custody while being transported to a hospital.
The incident began late Friday night when Pathak, who was in the custody of the CIA staff, complained of severe chest pain. While being moved to a hospital in a police vehicle, the car reportedly struck a road divider due to heavy fog. Mohali Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Harmandeep Singh Hans noted that Pathak exploited the confusion, attacked the accompanying officers with his handcuffs, and escaped into the darkness.
“Pathak was at large for about six to seven hours and may have procured a weapon during that time from a pre-arranged location,” SSP Hans said during a press briefing. He mentioned that the handcuffs were missing when the shooter was eventually tracked down.
Police teams from Mohali, Rupnagar, and Fatehgarh Sahib cordoned off the Mullanpur area after receiving intelligence on his whereabouts. When cornered near the New Chandigarh cricket stadium around 6:30 am, Pathak reportedly opened fire, discharging several rounds from a .30-bore pistol. Police retaliated with approximately nine rounds. One officer, Constable Satinder Singh, sustained a leg injury during the exchange.
Pathak was a key operative linked to foreign-based handlers and was identified as the main shooter who killed kabaddi promoter Kanwar Digvijay Singh, alias Rana Balachauria, in front of spectators at a tournament in Sohana on December 15. He had been recently apprehended in West Bengal following a multi-state search operation.
“During the siege, Pathak opened fire, prompting the police to retaliate in self-defence,” SSP Hans directly said. The accused sustained critical injuries and was pronounced dead after being referred to the Phase-6 Civil Hospital.
Authorities have registered two separate FIRs—one regarding the escape from custody and another concerning the encounter. Pathak, an Amritsar resident with ties to criminal networks in Uttar Pradesh, was also being investigated for his alleged involvement in the killing of gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria’s mother.
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