INDIA: The last of the six gunmen allegedly involved in the murder of singer Sidhu Moosewala was arrested today, Punjab police said. Three gunmen were earlier arrested by the Delhi Police, while the Punjab Police killed two others in an encounter near Amritsar.
The one arrested now, Deepak alias Mundi, was nabbed along with his two associates, Kapil Pandit and Rajinder, from the West Bengal-Nepal border in a joint operation with central agencies, Punjab Director General Gaurav Yadav told the newspaper.
Sidhu Moosewala, who was also a Congress leader, was shot dead in Punjab’s Mansa district on May 29, a day after his security was reduced from four policemen to two by the state government.
He did not take two guards with him when he was shot near his village of Moosa. His security cuts by the AAP government were part of a larger push against “VIP culture” in which security cover for 400-odd people was either cut or removed altogether.
In another related development, Mansa police arrested a man from Jodhpur in Rajasthan earlier this week for allegedly sending a death threat via email to Moose Wala’s father, Balkour Singh Sidhu, officials said on Wednesday.
The arrested man, Mahipal, sent the threat to increase the number of fans on social media on a page he created on behalf of Lawrence Bishnoi, a jailed gangster who is believed to be the mastermind of the murder along with Canada’s Goldy Brar.
Regarding the murder case, on 1 September the central government confirmed that two suspects, Anmol Bishnoi of Kenya and Sachin Thapan of Azerbaijan, had been arrested there.
In response to media inquiries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “The local authorities have taken the two men into custody. We are in close contact with the local authorities. However, we cannot comment on the legal discourse at this time.”
Sachin Thapan was reportedly on the phone with Goldy Brar. Anmol Bishnoi is the nephew of Lawrence Bishnoi. Goldy Brar said Moose Wala was murdered “to avenge the killing of Vicky Middukhera”, who was a student activist turned leader of the Youth Akali Dal.
Sidhu Moose Wala’s aide’s name has come up in the Middukhera murder investigation, though police have avoided a direct link.
Police in Mansa have so far charged more than 30 people, with less than 10 remaining to be arrested.
Also Read: Punjab Police Kills Sidhu Moose Wala’s Murderers in an Encounter
