The main accused in Baba Tarsem Singh's murder case was killed in an encounter with Uttarakhand Special Task Force (STF) in the Bhagwanpur area of Haridwar in the early hours on April 9, the State's top police officer said.
Amarjit Singh alias Bittu, a shooter with ₹1 lakh bounty on his head, was killed while his accomplice fled, Uttarakhand Director General of Police (DGP) Abhinav Kumar told ANI.
The Uttarakhand STF and Haridwar Police have launched a joint operation to nab the absconding accused, the DGP said.
The police said that more than 16 cases have been registered against Amarjeet Singh.
Nanakmatta Gurdwara's 'karseva' chief Baba Tarsem Singh was shot dead on March 28 by two bike-borne assailants at the Nanakmatta Gurdwara in Udham Singh Nagar.
Earlier on Sunday, the Udham Singh Nagar Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) increased the reward amount for both the absconding main accused (shooters), Amarjit Singh and Sarabjit Singh, from ₹50,000 to one lakh each.
Three more accused were also arrested in the case. They were allegedly involved in orchestrating the crime by assembling criminals, providing resources, and supplying weapons, police said.
DGP Kumar had said that Uttarakhand Police had taken Baba's murder as a challenge and the STF and police were constantly looking for both the killers.
The police will deal strictly with the criminals if they commit such heinous crimes in Uttarakhand, the DGP added.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami also kept a constant watch since the Baba Tarsem Singh murder and had given strict instructions to the police to nab the accused.
