PHAGWARA: In a significant development in the investigation of the firing incident at the residence of an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader near Phagwara, alleged gangster Virender Pratap Singh alias Kala Rana was once again brought to Phagwara from Bhondsi Jail in Gurugram on a production warrant and produced before the local Judicial Magistrate here on Wednesday evening.
The court, after hearing the submissions of the investigating agency, granted the police three days’ remand of the accused gangster to enable detailed interrogation regarding his alleged involvement in the case and to unravel the larger conspiracy behind the attack.
Kala Rana has been nominated in the case relating to the midnight firing at the house of AAP leader Daljit Raju in village Darvesh near Phagwara on November 27 last year. The incident had created panic in the area when unidentified assailants allegedly fired multiple rounds at the residence of the political leader during the late-night hours before fleeing from the spot.
According to police sources, Rana’s suspected role in the incident surfaced during the course of the investigation. The gangster, who is reportedly facing multiple criminal cases including murder and extortion in different states, is believed to have links with organized criminal networks involved in threatening businessmen and influential persons for extortion money.
With Rana now under police custody, investigators are expected to conduct intensive questioning to trace the entire network behind the attack. The interrogation will focus on identifying the masked assailants who allegedly carried out the firing, establishing whether the attack was planned as part of an extortion racket, and uncovering the individuals who may have provided logistical or financial support for the crime.