JJ Hospital Shootout: 32-Year Manhunt Ends As Key Accused Tribhuvan Singh Arrested

Mumbai police have finally arrested an accused from the 1992 JJ Hospital Shootout on Saturday, October 19. The accused has been identified as Tribhuvan Singh, 63, and was on run for 32 years. Singh was brought before a special TADA court, where he was placed under police detention until October 25.

The police investigation revealed that Singh was an undertrial prisoner in an Uttar Pradesh jail. He was captured after authorities traced him there. Singh is currently imprisoned in Mirzapur jail, where he has additional cases filed against him. 

The shootout at JJ Hospital involved Subhashsingh Thakur, who led a group of 24 sharpshooters from the Dawood Ibrahim gang. The violence occurred in response to the murder of Ibrahim Parkar, the brother-in-law of the fugitive mobster Dawood Ibrahim.

On September 12, 1992, during the gunfire, Thakur ambushed Shailesh Haldankar, a gunman for the rival Arun Gawli gang. The incident resulted in the deaths of Haldankar and two constables. 

Police stated that Singh was one of two members of the hit squad who fired AK-7 weapons during the attack. He has multiple criminal cases against him in Uttar Pradesh and is recognised as a known thug in that region.

Following the gunfight, Singh sustained injuries and travelled to Surat for surgery. Authorities also have hospital records and a doctor's statement supporting this claim. Singh attempted to avoid arrest by changing his name to Shreekanth.

The prosecutor argued that Singh’s custody is necessary to continue the investigation. He mentioned that Singh's injuries from the shootout require medical assessment. They also need to confirm his identity and collect his fingerprints. Efforts to arrest Singh have been ongoing since the Covid-19 pandemic.

In 2018, Mohammed Farooq Yasin Mansoor, another suspect in the shootout, was also arrested and is currently in custody. The authorities continue to pursue further evidence related to the case. The police informed the court that two other individuals had already been convicted in connection with this case.