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Lawrence Bishnoi arrested in old case; cops to probe his role in Moosewala murder
After arresting Bishnoi from Tihar’s jail number 8, the Delhi police special cell produced him before a city court, which sent him to three-day police custody.
Jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, whose role is suspected in the murder of Punjabi singer and Congress leader Sidhu Moosewala, was on Tuesday arrested by Delhi police in connection with a case registered against him and his accomplices in the capital last year.
After arresting Bishnoi from Tihar’s jail number 8, the Delhi police special cell produced him before a city court, which sent him to three-day police custody.
During his custody, Bishnoi’s role in the murder of Moosewala will also be probed, said a senior officer, requesting anonymity. Police suspect some of his accomplices based in Delhi might have helped in the murder, the officer added.
Hours after Moosewala was shot dead at Jawaharke village in Punjab’s Mansa district, the state’s police on Sunday night claimed Bishnoi and his accomplice Goldy Brar, a Canada-based gangster, were suspects.
“Bishnoi has been arrested in an earlier case of arms smuggling registered at outer Delhi’s Narela,” said a police officer aware of the development. “The weapon used by a gunman in Narela was allegedly supplied by Bishnoi, so he has been formally arrested in this case.”
The officer added: “In the backdrop of fresh allegations of murder against him, Bishnoi will be questioned for his role in the singer’s murder case. His accomplices — Sandeep alias Kala Jathedi and Kala Rana — are already in our custody.”
Besides the arms smuggling case, they are also named in the MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act) case for their criminal activities in Delhi, the officer said.
HGS Dhaliwal, chief of the special cell, did not respond to repeated calls and a text message from HT for a comment.
Meanwhile, Bishnoi through his lawyer moved the Delhi high court on Tuesday for blocking custody to Punjab police, claiming fear for his life, a day after a city court refused to entertain the same petition.
The application was moved as urgent before a bench of acting chief justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Sachin Datta which allowed the listing of the matter for Wednesday. The case is listed before Justice Swarn Kanta Sharma.
The petition sought directions to Tihar jail authorities to intimate the counsels of Bishnoi before giving his custody to any other state police on any production warrant.
“My client fears for his life if he is taken to Punjab,” said advocate Vishal Chopra, Bishnoi’s lawyer. “His arrest on Tuesday is related to another case and not the Moosewala murder case.”
In his plea, Bishnoi said he feared he would be killed in a fake encounter by the Punjab police. The petition added that on May 29, the Punjab police at a press conference claimed that Bishnoi was involved in Moosewala murder case.
On Monday, Bishnoi urged the Patiala House court that the investigation against him in the Moosewala murder case be conducted at Tihar jail, where he is lodged, and not with Punjab police personnel getting his physical custody.
He also sought a direction to the city police and the Tihar jail authorities to ensure all necessary security arrangements.
Prison officers said that since Sunday night, after reports of Bishnoi’s alleged involvement in the case, they have sounded an alert and increased the gangster’s security.
On Sunday evening, Punjab’s director general of police VK Bhawra told reporters that Bishnoi and Goldy Brar’s group have claimed responsibility for Moosewala’s murder, which, he added, was in retaliation to the killing of Youth Akali Dal leader Vicky Midhukhera.
