Controversial ex-cop Gurmeet Singh Pinky dies

Controversial ex-police inspector Gurmeet Singh Pinky died at a private hospital here on Wednesday, Punjab Police sources said.

He was undergoing treatment for dengue, they said.

Pinky, who was said to be close to many militants, became a police informer to help Punjab Police fight terrorism in the early 1990s. He was later inducted into the police force and rose to the post of inspector.

He was credited with nabbing militant Jagtar Singh Hawara, who is serving a life term for the assassination of ex-Punjab chief minister Beant Singh.

Pinky was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in 2006 for the murder of Avtar Singh Gola in Ludhiana in 2001. Later, he was dismissed from service.

He was given a gallantry award in 1997 but the Centre withdrew it in 2015.

Pinky was prematurely released from jail in 2014.

A controversy erupted after it came to light that Pinky was re-appointed as head constable in 2015. His re-appointment was set aside a few days later.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)