Ludhiana, Jan 12: Ludhiana police arrested three members of the Rohit Godara gang following a late-night encounter in the Jassian area, recovering illegal weapons used in a recent extortion attempt. The confrontation broke out when the suspects tried to breach a police checkpoint near a local government school, leading to a crossfire that left two of the accused with multiple gunshot wounds.
The operation was launched to solve a firing incident from earlier this week where shots were discharged at a garment showroom in Haibowal. Investigators linked the suspects to a Rs 50 lakh ransom demand made to the shop owner, Himanshu, by callers claiming affiliation with the notorious Godara syndicate.
“Our teams acted on credible intelligence regarding the movement of three masked men,” Commissioner of Police Swapan Sharma mentioned while briefing reporters at the scene. He noted that the suspects opened fire to evade capture, forcing the police to retaliate in self-defence.
The injured men, identified as Sumit Kumar and Sanju, were shifted to a civil hospital in critical condition after sustaining four bullet injuries. A third accomplice, Sumit alias Altron, was apprehended without injury. During the exchange, a bullet grazed the turban of Head Constable Pardeep Singh, and the official police vehicle was struck by several rounds.
Officers recovered two .32-bore pistols, magazines, and four live cartridges from the spot. The suspects were traveling on an unregistered motorcycle. CP Sharma directly said the force successfully cracked the Haibowal case through this high-impact intervention. All three men are Ludhiana residents with prior records involving attempt to murder and other heinous crimes.
The investigation has also involved the questioning of gangster Shubham Grover, who was brought from Ferozepur Jail on a production warrant. Rohit Godara, originally from Rajasthan, operates an extensive criminal network across North India specializing in contract killings and large-scale extortion targeting builders and industrialists.
