E-Paper
Moosewala mastermind Goldy Brar caught in US
Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann said on Friday that gangster Goldy Brar, who is believed to be the mastermind in the murder of singer Sidhu Moosewala, has been detained in the US and will “definitely be brought to India”.
Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann said on Friday that gangster Goldy Brar, who is believed to be the mastermind in the murder of singer Sidhu Moosewala, has been detained in the US and will “definitely be brought to India”.
Mann’s comment came after news reports quoted people aware of the matter as saying that Brar had illegally entered the US from Canada and was detained in California.
“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,” Mann told reporters in Ahmedabad.
“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,” he said.
Also read: Moose Wala’s father seeks ₹2-cr reward for Goldy Brar’s arrest
A senior police officer who is part of the Moosewala killing investigations, however, said: “We don’t have anything concrete on the issue from the central agencies on the record or off it,” the top police official said, asking not to be named.
Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, popularly known as Sidhu Moosewala, was shot dead in Punjab’s Mansa district on May 29 this year. Brar, a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, has claimed responsibility for the murder.
Satinderjeet Singh alias Goldy Brar, who is from Sri Muktsar Sahib in Punjab, travelled to Canada on a student visa in 2017. He is said to be an active member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. A red corner notice, which allows the arrest and detention of a fugitive abroad, has been issued against Brar.
Brar is also believed to be a key conspirator in the Dera Sacha Sauda follower murder incident which took place last month.
“We are discussing the issue at international level so that others are brought here. They will be interrogated and there may be more revelations...Goldy Brar will be very soon in the custody of Punjab police,” Mann said.
Moosewala’s father welcomed the news of the detention of Brar. In Mansa, Moosewala’s father Balkaur Singh said he was yet to get any official information about the development. “If it is so, I welcome it,” Singh said.
Singh on Thursday called upon the Union government to announce a reward of ₹2 crore for any information leading to the arrest of Canada-based gangster Brar. He even offered to pay for the reward from his own pocket.
Also read: Day after seeking 2 cr reward, Moose Wala's father reacts to Brar detention move
According to a 1,850-page charge sheet filed in the Moosewala murder case, Brar is the mastermind in the killing. Brar gave the news of the withdrawal of security of Moosewala to shooters on May 28 and asked them to kill the singer on May 29, as per the charge sheet.
Moosewala was among the 424 people whose security was scaled down by the Punjab Police.
The Canada-based gangster could soon be handed over by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to Indian law enforcement agencies, an official told news agency ANI.
The official said that Brar was being monitored by FBI, with the agency tracking him after he illegally entered the US from Canada.
Indian agencies tipped off FBI about Brar’s movements and the Americans put him under surveillance immediately, the official said.
