Indian agencies remained non-committal regarding the whereabouts of gangster Satinderjit Singh alias Goldy Brar, four days after Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann declared he was detained in the US.
Officials in Delhi and Punjab said they have no official confirmation from US authorities on whether Brar has been “detained”, is “under observation” based on an Interpol red notice against him or was “let off” after being briefly detained. The wanted gangster is involved in the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala in May this year, apart from other criminal activities.
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A person claiming to be Brar told a journalist in a YouTube interview on Monday that he was not detained in the US and was in Europe. There is no way of verifying if the person speaking was indeed Brar.
“Several agencies were tracking Brar’s movement but he suddenly went off the radar. That’s when information was received that he was held by authorities in California. But we don’t know if he is (still) under detention, was let off or was just placed under observation based on an Interpol red notice and India’s request to the US to keep an eye on gangsters who have links with radical outfits,” said an officer in Delhi who didn’t want to be named.
{{/usCountry}}“Several agencies were tracking Brar’s movement but he suddenly went off the radar. That’s when information was received that he was held by authorities in California. But we don’t know if he is (still) under detention, was let off or was just placed under observation based on an Interpol red notice and India’s request to the US to keep an eye on gangsters who have links with radical outfits,” said an officer in Delhi who didn’t want to be named.
{{/usCountry}}“We are still waiting for an official communication from the US authorities,” added this person, who works with a law enforcement agency.
Mann claimed on December 2 that Goldy Brar had been detained in the US and would be brought back to India.
“The California police have detained him. They have contacted the Indian government and the Punjab Police and informed them about his detention. They have asked whether he needs to be deported. We will definitely bring Goldy Brar to India as per the treaty with America so that the families which have lost their sons and daughters find some solace. Brar was the main mastermind, and there are others as well whose records are with us,” Mann said in Ahmedabad last week.
Subsequently, officials in intelligence units in Delhi and Punjab, citing their “unofficial” contacts in the US, confirmed that Brar had “indeed” been detained in California.
The Punjab Government and the state police have not responded to the clip.
Police officials are not ready to take on the issue, even off the record, citing that when the chief minister has already spoken on the issue, it won’t be appropriate for them to say anything.
After Brar’s interview appeared on Red FM Vancouver, the Punjab Police even cancelled its routine weekly press conference .
On Saturday, when the news about Brar being detained appeared in electronic media, state police officers denied having any “on or off the record” confirmation but went silent when the Chief Minister told media in Gujarat, where he was campaigning for the Aam Aadmi Party, that the gangster had been detained.