Accused Jeewanjot Chahal escapes gun attack, driver killed near Kotkapura

 

Jeewanjot Singh Chahal, alias Jugnu, one of the key accused in the Sidhu Moosewala murder case, narrowly escaped a targeted gun attack on him near Kotkapura in Faridkot district this evening.

Meanwhile, his driver, Yadwinder Singh, who also came under attack, died on the spot in the ambush.

According to Chahal, he was returning from the bhog of his paternal grandfather at a gurdwara in Bhamanwala village near Kotkapura. He was part of a convoy of four to five vehicles.

“Initially, I was seated in my car with the driver, but just before departure, my uncle asked me to accompany him. I switched cars, and moments after we began the return journey, three bike-borne assailants opened fire on the vehicle I was originally supposed to travel in,” Chahal said.

The attackers fired two rounds, fatally injuring the driver. Another occupant of the vehicle, father, mother and a sister of Chahal escaped unhurt.

The assailants fled the scene immediately after the attack.

The Faridkot police launched investigation in the matter and are exploring the possibility of gang rivalry or a revenge angle connected to the Moosewala murder case. Investigators obtained the CCTV video grabs of the suspected attackers and are working to identify them.

Chahal had previously made headlines in April this year when he was detained at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport while allegedly attempting to leave the country. He was apprehended following a Look Out Circular (LoC) issued by the Mansa police on the request of Sidhu Moosewala’s family.

The LoC was based on a Facebook post Chahal had shared on May 29, 2022 — the day Moosewala was shot dead in Jawahar Ke village of Mansa district. The post ominously read, “Mansa ch ajj sham nu bahut wadda toofan aun wala hai” (A major storm is coming to Mansa this evening), which he later deleted. This led to his name being included in the FIR and the chargesheet in the murder case.

However, sources later revealed that the LoC had been cancelled, though the update was not reflected in the airport’s immigration system, leading to his brief detention and subsequent release.

Punjab