Us-based gangster in ‘hiding’ booked over Moosewala murder
LUDHIANA: Ludhiana police have booked a person believed to be in hiding in the United States for allegedly supplying weapons to the shooters responsible for the killing on Punjabi singerturned-politician Sidhu Moosewala on May 29 in Mansa, officers privy to the probe said on Sunday.
The accused was identified as Darmanjot Singh Kahlon alias Darman Kahlon. He was booked in the FIR lodged in June at the Salem Tabri police station.
According to a senior officer who did not want to be named, Kahlon’s involvement came to light after the interrogation of gangsters Mandeep Singh alias Toofan and Mani Rayya, who were sent to police custody by a local court on Saturday.
The officer said Toofan and Rayya disclosed during interrogation that Kahlon had called them saying they should carry out tasks put forward by Canadabased gangster Goldy Brar, who is accused of planning Moosewala’s murder.
The accused further told police that jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is also an accused in the case, had hatched several conspiracies to murder Moosewala.
One plan, the officer said, involved a raid of shooters in police uniform at the singer’s residence. However, reconnaissance at the location days before the murder proved that it would not be feasible to conduct such an attack because of the presence of police personnel, said the officer.
The accused also told police that they, along with dismissed police officer and sharp shooter Gurmeet Meeta, were kept on standby on the day of the murder in Mansa district.
Toofan, Rayya, Meeta and Satbir Singh were all captured on CCTV before and after the fatal attack on Moosewala. Moosewala, a Congress leader, was shot dead at Jawaharke village in Mansa district, a day after the state government had halved the number of security personnel in his security detail.