The Punjab Police caught wanted criminal Balbir Singh Bhootna in the early hours of Tuesday, after a brief gunbattle that killed a vendor and seriously injured two constables.

Bhootna, police said, was associated with the Khalistan Commando Force and later with Babbar Khalsa International. He has been named in nine cases of murder, attempt to murder, some under the Arms Act and Explosives Act, and even one under TADA. He has been on the run for the last several years, having jumped bail once.

Around 3.15 am on Tuesday, Bhootna got off the Jammu-bound Jhelum Express at the Ludhiana railway station—along with wife Sukhwinder Kaur. The train had come from Pune.

After a while, constables Niranjan Singh and Karam Pal Singh—of the Narcotics Cell, Government Railway Police (GRP)—stopped him near the overbridge and wanted to check his luggage. Heated words followed, and within seconds, Bhootna had whipped out a Chinese-made pistol and fired four shots at the constables. Other GRP personnel rushed in and began to fire at a fleeing Bhootna.

Tea vendor Santosh Kumar was injured in the shootout and he later died at the Civil Hospital. Singh and Pal are in a critical state at the CMC Hospital.

Bhootna and wife Sukhwinder were being interrogated at the office of the Criminal Investigation Agency, when reports last came in. It is learnt that Bhootna was under the influence of an intoxicant when caught. Bhootna lives in Punjab and had gone on a pilgrimage to Nander Sahib in Maharashtra, police sources said. On his way back, he had boarded the train at Manmad.