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Punjab: Extortion, arms racket linked to Goldy Brar busted, 10 arrested
The Ludhiana police have busted an inter-state extortion and arms racket allegedly operating at the behest of gangster Satinderjeet Singh, alias Goldy Brar, and Rajasthan-based gangster Varinder Charan, both believed to be settled abroad
Ludhiana: The Ludhiana police have busted an inter-state extortion and arms racket allegedly operating at the behest of gangster Satinderjeet Singh, alias Goldy Brar, and Rajasthan-based gangster Varinder Charan, both believed to be settled abroad.
As many as 10 operatives of the syndicate have been arrested and 12 sophisticated illegal pistols recovered, including two 9 mm Glock pistols and a Zigana pistol, said police.
According to police, some of these high-end weapons were arranged from inside Ludhiana Central Jail by an inmate.
Addressing a press conference, commissioner of police Swapan Sharma said the racket first came to light with the arrest of two accused — Jatin, alias Sam, and Jaspreet Singh, on December 12 last year. Their sustained interrogation helped investigators peel back the layers of a wider network involved in extortion, targeted shootings and illegal arms supply across Punjab and neighbouring states.
Following the leads, police arrested Ferozepur jail inmate Shubham Grover along with Jatin Kataria, Rajesh, alias Kannu, Manav, Vikaspal, Naresh Sethi, Mukul Mattu and Jatin Mattu alias Makda. Several key accused, including Varinder Charan, Sandeep, Vikram Kumar and Rajan Sidhu, are still on the run and raids are underway to nab them, police said.
The commissioner of police said they have dismantled a major arms and extortion syndicate with direct links to Goldy Brar. “The gang was systematically targeting businessmen in Punjab and parts of Haryana to extort money through fear and violence,” he said.
According to police, the gang fired at a shop in the Civil City area of Ludhiana to intimidate a trader into paying extortion money. They also travelled to Amritsar to target another businessman’s house, but returned without firing after their weapon malfunctioned. A Gurugram-based businessman was allegedly next on their hit list, according to police.
Further investigations revealed that Mukul Mattu, who is lodged in Ludhiana Central Jail, played a crucial role as a weapons supplier. Brought on a production warrant, he was formally arrested in the case. “Some of the recovered firearms were arranged by Mattu, while others were sourced through Varinder Charan. Tracing the exact procurement channels is part of the ongoing investigation,” Sharma added.
He said that the probe is underway and more arrests and recoveries are expected in the coming days.
