A Punjab Police constable was killed in an encounter with four armed robbers in Jalandhar district, police said on Monday.
The constable, Kuldeep Singh Bajwa (28), was the gunman of Phagwara Station House Officer Amandip Nahar, they said.
The incident occurred in Kangjagir village under Phillaur sub-division late on Sunday night when the robbers were fleeing in a car they had snatched from a man, the police said.
The four robbers snatched the car from a man in local Urban Estate while he was on his way home to SBS Nagar here along with a friend. Two of them put a gun to the car owner's head, they said.
On getting information about the incident, Phagwara and Goraya police started looking for the robbers with the help of the GPS system. After tracing their location, a police party chased them, they said.
During the chase, the police said, the robbers fired at the police party and a bullet pierced through Bajwa's thigh.
Police sources said the police party returned fire and overpowered three robbers who were shot in the leg. The fourth robber managed to escape.
Bajwa was rushed to a private hospital in Phagwara where he was declared brought dead. His body was then taken to the civil hospital for an autopsy, the police said.
The sources identified the injured robbers as Kulwinder Singh alias Kinda, Vishnu and Ranjit Singh.
The arrested robbers were hospitalised in Phillaur, but were later shifted to the Jalandhar civil hospital, they said.
Phagwara Deputy Superintendent of Police Jaspreet Singh, who was present in the civil hospital during Bajwa's autopsy, said the constable belonged to Batala area but was living in Kapurthala.
Police sources said Bajwa was very popular on Instagram and had many followers.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav condoled Bajwa's death.
"Salute to martyr Constable Kuldeep Singh Bajwa Belt no. 886/KPT who has made the sacrifice in line of duty. Punjab Government will make Ex Gratia grant of Rs 1 crores. Another Rs 1 crore insurance payment will be made by HDFC Bank. We stand with our martyrs and their families," Mann tweeted.
In a tweet, Yadav said, "Salute to martyr Ct. Kuldeep Singh who has laid down his life in the line of duty."