Pakistan man supplied arms used for Moosewala's murder: NIA

A Pakistani arms supplier based in Dubai, identified as Hamid, had supplied the weapons used in Punjabi singer and politician Sidhu Moosewala’s murder last year

New Delhi: A Pakistani arms supplier based in Dubai, identified as Hamid, had supplied the weapons used in Punjabi singer and politician Sidhu Moosewala’s murder last year, according to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Sidhu Moosewala (HT_PRINT)

Officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said a Pakistani national’s direct role has surfaced for the first time in Moosewala killing.

Hamid even met Shahbaz Ansari, a Bulandshahr-based regular arms supplier of Lawrence Bishnoi gang, in Dubai before Moosewala’s killing and bragged to him about his close association with gangster Satinderjit Singh, alias Goldy Brar, Canada-based close aide of Bishnoi, the federal agency said.

Moosewala was shot dead by six shooters using assault rifles and pistols at Jawaharke village in Punjab’s Mansa district on May 29 last year. The singer was a Congress leader and his security cover, along with at least 400 others, was withdrawn by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Punjab government a day before the incident.

Goldy Brar had claimed responsibility for the killing.

“Investigations have established that Shahbaz Ansari [arrested by NIA on December 8, 2022 from Bulandshahr] visited Dubai many times and during these visits, he came in contact with one Faizi Khan, who is a Pakistani national and works as a hawala operator in Dubai. Faizi Khan introduced Ansari to one Hamid, who is also a Pakistani national and arms smuggler. During one such meeting, Ansari and Hamid discussed about the business of arms smuggling and supply of consignment of arms and ammunition in India,” NIA documents submitted in the court said.

“During this meeting, Hamid also told Ansari that we are going to supply assault rifles and other weapons to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi for the killing of Shubhdeep Singh alias Sidhu Moosewala. Hamid said they are in touch with Goldy Brar and has supplied weapons to him many times,” the documents, seen by HT, further revealed.

To back his claim, according to NIA, Hamid showed Ansari his phone which had an audio recording related to arms supply to Brar.

The agency has further said that Ansari and his slain father Kurban Ansari were the main source of weapons for Bishnoi gang and that “it is learnt that same weapons were used in killing of Moosewala”.

The investigators are trying to gather more details about Hamid and Faizi Khan as well as their weapons supply network with Ansari.

To be sure, NIA is not investigating Moosewala’s killing. The revelations are part of agency’s larger probe against a nexus of North India based gangsters and pro-Khalistani elements (PKEs).

Detailing the planning of Moosewala’s killing, NIA documents further said: “During the planning and execution of Sidhu Moosewala, the accused were lodged in six different jails — Lawrence Bishnoi and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria (in Tihar), Manpreet alias Manna (Ferozpur), Saraj Singh alias Mantoo in Special jail (Bathinda), Manmohan Singh alias Mohana (in Mansa jail) but all of them were in touch with Satinderjeet Singh alias Goldy Brar, who after discussing with the jail associates, finally tasked the shooters to kill Moosewala immediately after the singer’s security was downgraded.”

Bishnoi told NIA in his statement, seen by HT, that Brar had sent six shooters to kill Moosewala. “Goldy Brar managed the stay, vehicles for the shooters and also helped them in reconnaissance. I had sent approximately ₹50-60 lakh via hawala to Goldy Brar in Canada,” Bishnoi told NIA.

The federal agency has also found the Khalistani link to Moosewala’s murder. It has said that proscribed Babbar Khalsa International’s (BKI) leader Lakhbir Singh Landa, based in Canada, was sitting with Brar when a journalist, who runs a YouTube channel, interviewed latter after Moosewala’s murder.