Mumbai Police Arrest J J Hospital Shootout Accused After 32 Years

Mumbai, 19th October 2024: An individual accused in the J J Hospital shootout case was apprehended by Mumbai police after 32 years. Tribhuvan Rampati Singh was presented in a special court in Mumbai on Saturday and remanded to police custody until October 25. Singh had been named as an accused in the case but had been evading arrest under a new identity in Uttar Pradesh.

Recent police investigations revealed that Singh, now in his 60s, was an undertrial prisoner in a Mirzapur jail, leading to a request for his production. On September 30, the court issued a production warrant for Singh and instructed jail authorities to bring him to Mumbai.

In 1992, two individuals, Shailesh Haldankar and Bipin Shere, were arrested for attempted murder and admitted to the state-run J J Hospital for treatment of their injuries. On September 12, 1992, unidentified gunmen entered the hospital and opened fire, resulting in the deaths of Haldankar and two police constables who were guarding him. The police alleged that Haldankar was affiliated with the Arun Gawli gang, and the shootout was believed to be a retaliation for the murder of Dawood Ibrahim’s brother-in-law, Ismail Parkar, who was reportedly killed by members of the Gawli gang.

In seeking custody of Singh, special public prosecutor Sunil Gonsalves noted that Singh had sustained bullet wounds during the incident and subsequently managed to escape. Initially, he fled to Surat, underwent surgery, and later altered his identity to avoid capture. The prosecutor mentioned that the statement of the doctor who treated Singh at the time had been recorded. The police stated that Singh’s custody was essential for examining and confirming the injuries he sustained and investigating his assumed identity. Previously, two others had been convicted in this case.

In 2018, police also arrested another absconding suspect, Mohammed Farooq Yasin Mansoor, who is currently in custody.