Sidhu Moose Wala murder planning started in August last year: Punjab police

CHANDIGARH: Punjab police’s anti-gangster task force(AGTF) head ADGP Promod Ban said on Thursday that singer Sidhu Moose Wala’s murder planning had started in August last year, reccees were conducted atleast thrice and in January there was different group of shooters.
This time shooters had reached Mansa on May 25 who ultimately succeeded in killing Moose Wala on May 29 in which AK-series weapon was used besides 9mm pistols. The ADGP said that till now a total number of 13 accused have been arrested in the case which includes the arrest of Sirsa native Baldev alias Nikku on Thursday.
Nikku had carried out reccee along with Sandeep Kekda, took selfie with Moose Wala outside his house on May 29, gave signal to waiting shooters and passed on the real time information through video call to gangster Goldy Brar sitting and Canada and gangster Lawerence Bishnoi’s associate Sachin Thapan, also sitting abroad to execute the murder plan. Nikku is a proclaimed offender in atleast 14 other cases.
The AGTF chief further added that during gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s interrogation, he has made the disclosure about hatching a conspiracy to kill Moose Wala with his younger brother Anmol, Brar and Thapan. He said that Bishnoi was using a mobile phone inside the Tihar jail to remain in contact with others.
Gangsters fled country on fake passport
Thapan had claimed to a news channel that he was involved in the murder just to mislead the police investigation, said Ban. Whereas Bishnoi had already sent his younger brother Anmol abroad in January and Thapan in April on fake passports issued from the regional passport office Delhi to save them from getting involved in this case, he added.
A separate FIR has been registered in this case under the Passport Act and other sections of the IPC at Mohali, and the matter is being taken up with the appropriate authorities to probe issuance of fake passports and their extradition.
The AGTF head said that they had got details about the financers of these gangsters, weapon suppliers and other helping hands, and as many as 19 accused had been arrested by different district police.
Shooter Priyavrat Fauji has been arrested by the Delhi police special cell and he got weapons recovered which the Punjab police would get checked from the foresnsic experts whether they match them with this murder, he added. The Punjab police team is in Delhi to join his investigation.
147 gangsters/criminals arrested
Since the constitution of the AGTF, as many as 147 gangsters and criminals have been arrested, 37 gangster modules have been busted and over 130 weapons along with ammunition have been recovered, he added.
Ban said that the police have received some complaints from the Punjabi music industry about extortion and threats. He added that there are 30 to 35 extortion and threat calls made to people in the state but such calls are being made from states like Jharkhand by scamsters.