Three British Sikhs arrested on suspicion of 2009 murder of Punjab RSS leader

LONDON: Three British Sikhs have been arrested in the UK on suspicion of a murder conspiracy in India dating back to 2009, according to UK police.

The arrests followed early morning raids on Monday on extradition warrants executed by West Midlands Police and all three were granted bail at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London under "strict conditions".

"Three men were arrested on Monday (December 21) by West Midlands Police following extradition warrants issued by Westminster Magistrates," West Midlands Police said in a statement.

"Two men, aged 37 and 40, were arrested in Coventry and a 38-year-old man was arrested in Wolverhampton. They were detained on suspicion of conspiracy to a murder in India in 2009," the statement said.

The trio are now expected to undergo proceedings to be extradited to India, with some separatist Sikh groups in the UK claiming that an order for such proceedings has been signed off by Home Secretary Priti Patel.

The Sikh Press Association published a statement on behalf of the arrested men and claimed they have been held in connection with the 2009 murder of Rulda Singh, a senior member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), who was shot in Patiala and died a week after the attack.

It further alleges that the development is linked with UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab's visit to India earlier this year.

"If the three are extradited they would almost certainly be tortured and have no chance of a fair trial," claimed Bhai Amrik Singh, Chair of Sikh Federation UK.