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Sharpshooters who killed Sidhu Moose Wala unmasked
A senior Punjab Police official said all eight shooters are directly linked with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, which had claimed responsibility for Sidhu Moose Wala’s murder
The Punjab police special investigation team (SIT) on Monday identified the eight shooters who pumped 19 bullets into singer-politician Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, aka Sidhu Moose Wala, in Mansa district on May 29.
Also read: Moose Wala murder probe: Moga police arrest third Haryana resident
The gang led by Lawrence Bishnoi, who is lodged in the Delhi’s Tihar Jail, has claimed the responsibility for Moose Wala’s murder. A senior police official said all men identified are sharpshooters and are directly linked with the Bishnoi gang. Police teams are conducting raids in three states to arrest them.
HT brings to you brief profiles of the eight men:
Manpreet Singh Mannu: A sharpshooter, Mannu belongs to Kussa village in Moga district. He is the one who shot dead gangster Harjit Singh Penta at Marhi Mustafa village in Moga’s Baghapurana in April this year. He is facing six criminal cases, including that of murder and attempt to murder.
Jagroop Singh Roopa: Belonging to Jaura village in Tarn Taran’s Patti, Roopa is in contact with several illegal arms dealers and is suspected to have arranged the ammunition. He is facing six criminal cases, including robbery, and was arrested in an Arms Act case in 2020. He was absconding after coming out on bail.
Harkamal Ranu: Aged 26, Harkamal, alias Ranu, belongs to Parasram Nagar in Bathinda. He is facing 11 criminal cases and had also fled from police custody in the past. A few months after being released from jail after serving five years, he was again arrested in an Arms Act case in January and got bail recently.
Priyawarat Fauji: A resident of Sisana village in Haryana’s Sonepat, Fauji is facing 12 criminal cases and is on the run for a year. Most recently, he killed gangster Bittu Barona’s father in Haryana, following which the state police also announced ₹25,000 reward to any person providing information that could lead to his arrest.
Manjeet Bholu: A close associate of Fauji, Bholu also belongs to Sisana village in Sonepat and is wanted in five criminal cases. Along with Fauji, he has been closely working with gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s close aides Kala Jathedi and Raju Basaudi, who too belong to Sonepat district.
Santosh Jadhav: Belonging to Pune, Jadhav is wanted in four cases, including that of a murder of another gangster, and shifted his base to Rajasthan and Punjab. In one case, the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act has been invoked against him. Police claim he recently got advanced weapon training.
Saurav Mahakal: Saurav Mahakal belongs to Pune in Maharashtra just like Santosh Jadhav and was active in Rajasthan along with him. He has five criminal cases registered against him, according to police records. Investigating officials say both Mahakal and Jadhav joined the Lawrence Bishnoi gang recently.
Subhash Banuda: Hailing from Sikar in Rajasthan, Banuda belongs to the infamous Anandpal gang that is active in the desert state and is an ally of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Out on bail in a murder case, he is involved in multiple robberies. Police suspect he arranged the Mahindra Bolero that was used by shooters.
