2nd shooter held in Mumbai
The conspiracy to kill Sandhu was hatched by Pak-based chief of banned terrorist outfit ISYF Lakhvir Singh Rode and his Pak ISI handlers, says Punjab DGP
CHANDIGARH: Punjab Police on Tuesday arrested the second shooter, Inderjeet Singh, involved in the sensational killing of Shaurya Chakra awardee Balwinder Singh Sandhu on October 16, last year.
The suspect was nabbed from Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, hours before he was scheduled to board a flight to Dubai, according to director general of police (DGP) Dinkar Gupta. Inderjeet, along with Gurjit Singh, alias Bhaa, had shot dead Sandhu, 62, at his residencecum-school in Bhikhiwind town of Tarn Taran district. Gurjit was arrested by the Delhi Police on December 7 last year, along with his associate Sukhjeet Singh, alias Bura.
Gupta said that while Gurjit and Inderjeet Singh had carried out the shooting, Sukhjeet had stationed himself a little away from the spot.
“During preliminary interrogation, Inderjeet revealed that two foreign-based Khalistani activists had contacted him in March 2020 on his Facebook due to his radical posts. He confessed that he was further motivated by them to carry out Sandhu’s killing,” the DGP said in a statement.
He said that the suspect also revealed that one of his two foreign handlers, who identified himself as Sunny, a resident of Canada, had initially tasked him to recce Sandhu’s residence and later helped him get in touch with Sukh Bhikhariwal, a notorious absconding gangster, for the execution of their plan. Investigation has also revealed that Sunny had provided financial and logistical support to Inderjeet and his associates, before and after the killing.
After killing Sandhu, the trio fled from Punjab and stayed at different locations.
While Gurjit and Sukhjeet were nabbed by the Delhi Police in December, Inderjeet remained on the run and took refuge at different locations in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Gupta said the investigating team of the Tarn Taran police, which was hot on his trail, received information that Inderjeet was going to Mumbai to board an international flight. Inderjeet also confessed that he was called to Mumbai on January 25 by Sunny, who had arranged his E-VISA and a flight ticket to Dubai.
Gupta said the involvement of Gurjit and Sukhjeet in the shootout had been revealed after the arrest of Sukhraj Singh, alias Sukha, and Ravinder Singh, alias Gyaan, both residents of Gurdaspur, and Akashdeep Arora of Ludhiana on October 31 and November 1, last year. The duo had also disclosed the name of Sukhmeet Pal Singh, alias Sukh, who had helped them in the planning and execution of the killing.
Gupta said disclosures by the arrested suspects have clearly revealed that the entire conspiracy to kill Sandhu was hatched by Pakistan-based self-proclaimed chief of the banned terrorist outfit, ISYF, Lakhvir Singh Rode, and his Pak ISI handlers. He said Rode had further tasked Sukh Sukhmeet Pal and Sunny to carry out the killing.
Sukhmeet, who was living in Dubai on a fake passport, was detained by the Dubai Police and later deported to India and was arrested on his arrival by the Delhi Police.
The DGP said since the investigations of the case are being taken over by the NIA, Inderjeet would be handed over to them on completion of the formalities of the transfer of the case.