E-Paper
Bishnoi named mastermind in Moosewala case charge sheet
According to Punjab police officers, the charge sheet has been prepared much before the stipulated 90-day period and it will be submitted before the court next week
The Punjab police have prepared a charge sheet in the singer and politician Sidhu Moosewala murder case and named jailed gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria as masterminds in the crime, people familiar with the development said on Thursday.
According to Punjab police officers, the charge sheet has been prepared much before the stipulated 90-day period and it will be submitted before the court next week. Shooters, facilitators, masterminds and others involved in the murder have also been named in the 81-page charge sheet, which HT has accessed.
“Besides Bishnoi and Bhagwanpuria, Manmohan Mohana, Deepak Tinu, Sandeep Kekda, Ankit Sirsa, Priyavrat Fauji, Sachin Bhiwani, Keshav, Kashish, Manpreet Manu, and Jagroop Roopa have also been named in the charge sheet,” a senior Punjab police officer, who is supervising the investigation in the murder case, told HT, requesting anonymity.
At present, Bishnoi is in the custody of Gurdaspur police in a separate murder case, while Bhagwanpuria is in the custody of Moga police in connection with an attempt-to-murder case.
The officer hailed the state police’s efforts in nabbing the criminals involved in the murder, with the “optimum use” of technical and manual surveillance. “Other arrested accused include Charanjit Singh alias Chetan of Ballram Nagar in Bathinda, Sandeep Singh alias Kekda of Sirsa, Manpreet Singh alias Manna of Talwandi Sabo, Manpreet Bhau of Dhaipai in Faridkot, Saraj Mintu of Dode Kalsia (Amritsar), Prabhdeep Sidhu alias Pabbi of Haryana, Monu Dagar of Sonipat and Pawan Bishnoi and Naseeb, both from Fatehabad,” he said “All of them were involved in the murder conspiracy, provided logistics and other support to the shooters. We have also included absconding shooter Deepak Mundi and others in the charge sheet.”
Moosewala was shot dead on a highway at Jawaharke village in Punjab’s Mansa district on May 29, when he was travelling in his personal vehicle (Mahindra Thar) with two of his associates. The singer was a Congress leader and his security cover, along with at least 400 others, was withdrawn by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Punjab government just a day before the incident.
More than 40 people have been named as witnesses in the charge sheet, the senior officer cited above said. “The witnesses named in the charge sheet include the police officers involved in the investigation, the doctor who conducted the autopsy, two persons — Moosewala’s cousin and a friend — who were travelling in the vehicle with him and also sustained injuries in the attack, besides the singer’s family,” said the officer. “We have also included forensic and post-mortem reports, seized arms, cartridges, different vehicles used in the commission of crime, blood samples of the accused and CCTV footages from different locations as evidence in this case.”
The officer also praised the role and support of the Delhi Police special cell in cracking the case. “The Delhi police provided their network and manpower support. They have arrested three shooters — Ankit Sirsa (19), Priyavrat alias Fauji (26) and Kashish alias Kuldeep (24),” said the officer. “Despite the incident taking place in Punjab, they (Delhi police) led from the front in cracking the case.”
So far, six shooters involved in the Moosewala murder have been identified, of which Sirsa, Fauji and Kuldeep are in the custody of the Delhi Police special cell, another accused Deepak is still at large while Roopa and Mannu were recently killed in an encounter with the Punjab Police in Amritsar.
A senior officer from the Delhi police special cell said a criminal alliance comprising various gangs led by Bishnoi, Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar, Kala Jatheri and Gogi was involved in violence in various states, including the national Capital. “The special cell has arrested 16 criminals — Bishnoi, Rajkumar alias Raju Basodi, Sampat Nehra, Ravinder Singh, Jagdeep alias Jaggu, Priyavrat alias Kala, Rahul alias Sanga, Naresh Sethi, Sachin alias Bhanja, and Sandeep alias Kala Jatheri — from different parts of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttarakhand and other states in connection with the murder of Moosewala,” said the officer, who also wished not to be named.
Soon after the murder on May 29, Goldy Brar had claimed responsibility for killing Moosewala, saying it was to seek revenge for the murder of Vicky Middukhera, who was a close friend of the Bishnoi gang.
