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The mushrooming of illegal hotels in Zirakpur is turning out to be a challenge for the district police. The hotels not only have become a den for illegal activities, but also safe places for criminals who stay in these hotels using fake identities.
On November 1, a police encounter led to the arrest of Lovejeet Singh, a murder accused of Bathinda-based eatery’s owner. It is not for the first time that the criminals hiding in a hotel in Zirakpur had an encounter with the police. In February 2019, gangster Ankit Bhadu was killed in an encounter in Peermuchalla area of Zirakpur. On October 13, Gagandeep Singh, the main accused of killing a scrap dealer in Zirakpur was arrested after a police encounter.
On August 30, Anil Bishnoi, a close associate of gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria was arrested from Zirakpur after a police encounter.
A police officer requesting anonymity said that there are many illegal hotels in Zirakpur which is a big challenge for the police. He added that the criminals not only get hideouts easily in these hotels, but also get alcohol and drugs.
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“It is a serious issue, we have seen many criminals, who were hiding in hotels, and were arrested from Zirakpur. It is a transit point among Punjab-Chandigarh and Haryana states and an ideal locations for the criminals,” the officer added.
SP (Rural) Manpreet Singh said that they have already working on it and the recent arrests are the results of the efforts of their teams to tail the criminals. He added that they are keeping a close eye in Zirakpur.
There is no elected body of hoteliers in Zirakpur.
An official in the Municipal Council said around 10 to 11 hotels are approved who follow the norms and also keep records of their visitors, but many small ones, which have been opened in narrow lanes, have become a den for criminal activities.
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