Jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi (Express photo)Punjab Police on Thursday sad that jailed gangster, Lawrence Bishnoi, had confessed that he was the “mastermind”in Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala’s killing and the entire murder was being planned since last August.
Punjab Police ADGP Pramod Ban on Thursday said that another accused, Baldev alias Nikku, a resident of Haryana’s Sirsa district, was arrested on Thursday.
Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, also known as Sidhu Moosewala, was shot dead in Mansa district on May 29, a day after the Punjab government pruned the security cover of the singer temporarily.
“We had recently arrested Lawrence Bishnoi in the case and his remand was extended till June 27. He has admitted that he was the mastermind (in Moosewala’s killing),” Ban, the head of the state’s Anti-Gangster Task Force, said on Thursday.
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Bishnoi has confessed to hatching the conspiracy with Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar, Sachin Thapan and Anmol, he said.
“The plan to carry out the killing was being hatched since August last year. According to our information, recce was done thrice. In January too, a different group of shooters had come to kill Moosewala but could not do so,” the ADGP said.
“We have arrested 13 people so far and the entire conspiracy has been unravelled,” Ban said, adding that Lawrence Bishnoi has also admitted to using a mobile phone in Tihar Jail.
Asked if the weapons recovered from the arrested shooters in the case by the Delhi Police were used in Moosewala’s killing, Ban said they are waiting for reports of a forensic analysis.
Ban said that fake passports made outside Punjab were used by Lawrence’s brother, Anmol and his associate Sachin Thapan, to travel abroad earlier this year.
He claimed that Lawrence Bishnoi asked them to flee the country and settle abroad from where they could coordinate, facilitate and successfully execute the crime without being noticed or held culpable.
A separate FIR has been lodged in Mohali in connection with the case of the fake passport, he said.
Ban said the police have got details of associates, weapons suppliers, financers and others helping this gang in various activities. The police in various districts of the state have arrested 19 people linked to this gang.
The ADGP said a Punjab Police team is in the national capital for questioning of arrested shooter Priyavrat alias Fauji and others who is in the custody of Delhi Police.
“As far as the arrest of the other accused goes, eight to nine teams of the Anti-Gangster Task Force are on the job. We are also in touch with other states and are hopeful of nabbing them soon,” the ADGP said. About the accused arrested on Thursday, Ban said Baldev was the main person who carried out recce with Sandeep, who has also been arrested. Baldev took a selfie with Moosewala and he spoke to Goldy Brar and Sachin Thapan over the phone and passed on information to the conspirators who had direct contact with the shooters, he said.
“Well-hatched conspiracy”
Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, in order to protect his brother Anmol Bishnoi and his close associate Sachin Thapan and himself, had created a perfect alibi so that he and his associates were not linked to the crime, the ADGP said on Thursday.
“To execute this plan, he procured passports for his brother Anmol Bishnoi and Sachn Thapan on fake particulars, that were issued by Regional Passport Office Delhi, and made them flee the country,” Ban said.
“He settled them abroad from where they could co-ordinate, facilitate and successfully execute this crime without being noticed or held culpable. Anmol Bishnoi (brother of Lawrence Bishnoi) has a criminal past having booked in many as 18 criminal cases. He was last held at Jodhpur Jail from where he was released on bail on October 7, 2021. Anmol Bishnoi had got his passport issued by RPO Delhi using fake particulars. Similarly, Sachin Thapan, a close associate of Lawrence Bishnoi, too, has a criminal past with 12 cases. He also managed to get a passport issued by RPO Delhi under fake particulars. Based on these disclosures made by Lawrence Bishnoi during the interrogation, a separate case FIR No 2, dated 20-06-2022 u/s 384, 465, 466, 471, 120-B IPC, 12 Passport Act and 25 Arms Act was registered against Lawrence Bishnoi and his associates. Further probe shall be conducted to unearth the modus operandi and the role of the officials in this nexus in which people with criminal background managed to procure passports on fake particulars from RPO Delhi,” Ban said.
The ADGP said the sharpshooters reached to kill Moosewala on May 25, four days before he was murdered.
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