CBI counters Punjab Police claim on red notice against Goldy Brar

CBI claimed that formal proposal for red notice against Goldy Brar came on May 30, a day after Sidhu Moose Wala’s murder, even as Punjab Police had claimed that it was sent on May 19

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday contradicted the Punjab Police’s claims on seeking a red corner notice (RCN) against Canada-based gangster Satinder Singh, alias Goldy Brar, 10 days before the murder of Punjabi singer-politician Shubhdeep Singh, aka Sidhu Moose Wala.

Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar had claimed responsibility for singer Sidhu Moose Wala’s murder.

Brar had claimed responsibility for the brutal killing of the singer, who was shot dead in Mansa district on May 29. Belonging to Muktsar Sahib, Goldy had gone to Canada on a student visa in 2017 and is an active member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. An RCN is issued by Interpol on the request of a member country and allows the arrest and detention of a fugitive abroad.

Punjab Police, in a press note issued on Wednesday, had claimed that they had already sought an RCN against the gangster in two cases registered against him in Faridkot in 2020 and 2021 by sending a formal proposal to the CBI on May 19. The statement issued on the day of Moose Wala’s “bhog” ceremony had raised questions over delay by the central agency.

However, the CBI has now claimed that the formal communication from the state police came on May 30, a day after Moose Wala’s murder. “The proposal for issuance of RCN against Goldy Brar was received on May 30 at 12:25 pm from Bureau of Investigation, Punjab Police, through e-mail. In this e-mail dated May 30, a copy of letter dated May 19 was attached. Also a hard copy of the same proposal was received from Punjab Police in IPCU, CBI, New Delhi, on May 30,” CBI’s statement reads.

The CBI claimed that its International Police Cooperation Unit (IPCU), New Delhi, coordinates the requests of sister law enforcement agencies for informal coordination through Interpol including requests for issuance of colour coded notices. The central agency said that after processing for confirmation of pre-requisite requirements, the RCN proposal was forwarded expeditiously to the Interpol headquarters in France on June 2, within two days of getting it from Punjab.

The CBI has also questioned Punjab Police’s claims regarding the RCN against gangster-turned-terrorist Harwinder Singh Sandhu, alias Rinda, who is presently based in Pakistan.

In the Wednesday’s statement, the state police had claimed that the proposal is under process at the level of “CBI, Central National Bureau for liaison with Interpol” and that on the execution of the RCN, the proposal for extraditing Rinda will be moved through the ministry of home affairs.

The central agency claimed that the RCN request has already been sent to Interpol. Further clarifying the procedure, it said that an RCN is neither mandatory nor a pre-requisite for sending extradition request, more so when the subject’s location is known.