Punjab: Wanted criminal killed in crossfire with police in Ludhiana, 3 associates held

Ludhiana: A criminal wanted in connection recent armed robberies in Ludhiana, was killed in a crossfire with police in Punjab's Ludhiana, police said on Thursday.
According to officials, the encounter took place near Panjeta Pind on the Kohara Machiwara road on Wednesday. The encounter occurred during a hot chase initiated by a team from CIA-2 Ludhiana.
The criminal, identified as Sukhdev Singh, alias Vicky, along with his three associates, had been on the run after committing a series of violent robberies, police said.
Police said that he was the mastermind behind the crime spree, which left two victims injured. The police had been actively pursuing Singh and his accomplices, who had 18 FIRs registered against them.
The police had taken three associates into custody.
The arrested associates have been identified as Aryan Singh, alias Raja, Sunil Kumar, and Balwinder, alias Bobby.
Police have recovered a significant cache of weapons from the scene, including two 32-bore pistols, ammunition, a toy pistol, and motorcycles used in the robberies.
Further investigation is underway. More information is awaited.