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Gangster Goldy Dhillon, aide claim responsibility for Amritsar influencer’s murder
The influencer was attacked around 6 pm on Saturday on Loharka Road, which falls under the Amritsar Police Commissionerate and was cremated on Sunday following the post-mortem
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Gangster’s alleged post appears on social media, claiming the social media creator Mad Sandhu was ‘corrupting the younger generation’; police verifying authenticity
A day after Punjabi social media influencer and makeup artist Madhusudan Sandhu, popularly known as Mad Sandhu, was shot dead in Amritsar on Saturday evening, a social media post allegedly attributed to foreign-based gangster Goldy Dhillon and associate Jagga Tarn Taran claimed responsibility for the murder.
The purported post alleged that Sandhu was targeted for “corrupting the younger generation” and issued explicit warnings to other digital creators, institution organisers inviting influencers, and individuals ignoring extortion demands.
Deputy commissioner of police (DCP, Investigation) Prabhjot Singh Virk stated that authorities were currently investigating the post to verify its authenticity.
Gurpreet Singh, alias Goldy Dhillon, a key operative of the notorious Lawrence Bishnoi criminal syndicate, is facing over a dozen cases related to murder, extortion and Arms Act violations in Mohali, Rajpura and Chandigarh.
He has a ₹10-lakh reward on his head by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for his role in the January 2024 firing at a businessman’s residence in Sector 5, Chandigarh. Punjab Police have additionally placed a ₹5-lakh reward on him.
Dhillon is also accused of masterminding the June 13 murder of a chemist shop cashier in Chandigarh’s Sector 11.
Meanwhile, Sandhu was cremated on Sunday following the post-mortem examination. He leaves behind his parents and a brother.
The influencer was attacked around 6 pm on Saturday on Loharka Road, which falls under the Amritsar Police Commissionerate.
According to Siri Vennela, additional deputy commissioner of police (ADCP) City-2, Amritsar, Sandhu was attacked when he came to a car-wash shop to get his vehicle cleaned. The bike-borne assailants fired around two to three rounds from close range before speeding away.
Sandhu was rushed by bystanders to a nearby hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Following statements from Sandhu’s family, police registered an FIR and started a preliminary investigation. The motive behind the killing and the identity of the attackers have yet to be established.
Special police teams have analysed over two dozen CCTV feeds along getaway routes. Police said they were exploring all angles, including extortion, personal enmity and hate crime.
‘God made me this way’
Commanding an Instagram following of 2.26 lakh, Sandhu had carved out a significant, but controversial, online presence as a fashion stylist, makeup artist, content creator and an LGBTQ+ advocate. He had even acted in the 2024 Punjabi movie “Oye Bhole Oye”.
Due to his unconventional fashion choices and content style, Sandhu routinely encountered public criticism and backlash on social media.
Vocal about LGBTQ+ and gender-related issues, he would often hit back at online trolls by saying that “God has made me the way I am”.
Sandhu had spoken openly on several occasions about the difficulties of living in a conservative society.
“I, too, would sometimes wonder why God had made me this way. I started feeling suffocated and began locking myself in my room,” he said in a “Josh Talks” video in 2021.
He added, “I was so confused that I could not understand who I was. My body was that of a boy, and my behaviour was also like that of a boy, but there was something that set me apart from society. Gradually, I found answers to all these questions.”
Sandhu spoke about growing up in a society with strict expectations of masculinity. He said he led a “double life” earlier, balancing what society expected of him with his own efforts to understand himself.
He regularly appeared on podcasts and used his social media platforms to share makeup tips and discuss the Punjabi entertainment industry.
Congress, BJP slam govt for deteriorating law and order
Reacting to Sandhu’s murder, the Opposition Congress slammed the AAP government for the deteriorating law and order situation in Punjab.
Punjab Congress president Pargat Singh said, “The real issue is a lack of leadership; there is neither leadership in the police force nor in the political leadership. Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann cannot shirk his responsibility.”
He further said, “Two murders took place just yesterday. I do not think Punjab ever faced such conditions before; when the Congress government returns to power, you will see professionalism in the police force.”
Punjab Congress in-charge Sachin Pilot alleged that law and order in Punjab had completely collapsed under the Bhagwant Mann government.
“...Gangsters are openly firing shots in Punjab, encounters are taking place, and individuals operating from within jails are demanding extortion money. Law and order there has completely collapsed. Deadly drugs are being delivered to homes via orders placed over the phone. The Bhagwant Mann government has completely failed to handle the situation...I am confident that we will form the government in Punjab with a comfortable majority,” said Pilot.
Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon said murders were taking place in broad daylight, criminals were roaming around fearlessly, Punjab was burning, while the chief minister was busy cracking jokes.
“The broad daylight murder of social media influencer Mad Sandhu in Amritsar, the incident in Ludhiana in which two persons, including a former sarpanch, were shot dead inside a car, and the killing of a young man near the SDM Guest House in Khadur Sahib are enough to show that criminals in Punjab no longer fear the law,” he said.
Dhillon said the government had repeatedly claimed that Punjab was being made a safe state, but questioned the claim in the wake of the recent incidents.
“On the one hand, chief minister Bhagwant Mann claims that Punjab is being made a safe state, but when ordinary people do not even feel safe stepping out of their homes, what kind of law and order is the government talking about?” he said.
NAPA urges Punjab govt to ensure safety of citizens
North American Punjabi Association executive director Satnam Singh Chahal on Sunday expressed concern over reports of shootings, killings, extortion, gangster activities, drug trafficking, illegal weapons and attacks on police personnel in Punjab.
Chahal said the state government must take effective steps to ensure the safety of ordinary citizens, businesses and families.
“People should not be afraid to speak against criminals, receive extortion threats or fear becoming victims of violence. The right to life and personal security must be protected,” he said in a statement here.
He said organised crime was no longer limited to a particular village or city and criminal networks could operate with the help of associates abroad, social media, illegal weapons and financial channels.
“The authorities must act not only against those involved directly in violence but also against those providing money, weapons, shelter, information and other support,” he said.
Chahal also raised concerns over the safety of non-resident Indians (NRIs) visiting Punjab.
Thousands of Punjabis living in the US, Canada, Britain and other countries return to the state every year to meet their families, visit their villages, manage businesses and look after ancestral property, he said.
“An NRI should be able to return to his or her village without fear of extortion, intimidation, property disputes or criminal attacks,” Chahal said.
