Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala murder case accused Sachin Bishnoi was extradited to India from Azerbaijan on Tuesday, two days after a team of Delhi Police’s Special Cell headed to the transcontinental country to finalise the necessary legal formalities. Sachin, the cousin of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, is one of the alleged conspirators in the Punjabi singer's murder, which took place in May last year.
Sachin had claimed responsibility for Moosewala’s murder on Facebook. He was fighting a legal battle in Azerbaijan to avoid extradition to India after he was detained there in August last year. He hails from Punjab’s Fazilka.
The development comes days after the National Investigating Agency (NIA) successfully extradited gangster Vikramjeet Singh, also known as Vikram Brar, from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Brar is a close aide of Lawrence Bishnoi and is facing charges in several cases connected to the activities of the gang, including the one linked to the targeted killing of Moosewala.
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‘Sachin Bishnoi left India via Dubai’
As per a Central Bureau of Investigation official, Sachin left India via Dubai just before Moosewala’s murder on a fake passport. “He fled to Dubai on a fake passport issued in the name of Tilak Raj Tuteja, a resident of Sangam Vihar in southeast Delhi. Later, he took a flight to Azerbaijan’s capital Baku, where he was detained,” said the officer, asking not to be named.
{{/usCountry}}As per a Central Bureau of Investigation official, Sachin left India via Dubai just before Moosewala’s murder on a fake passport. “He fled to Dubai on a fake passport issued in the name of Tilak Raj Tuteja, a resident of Sangam Vihar in southeast Delhi. Later, he took a flight to Azerbaijan’s capital Baku, where he was detained,” said the officer, asking not to be named.
{{/usCountry}}The officer said he had moved an appeal before a higher appellate authority in Azerbaijan to avoid his extradition. “When it was rejected there earlier this month [July], we apprised the development to the [Union] ministry of home affairs (MHA), which asked the Delhi Police to go ahead to bring the gangster back,” he added.
Sachin was also wanted in an extortion case in the Mohan Garden area of Delhi, and he was also linked to two similar offences in Punjab. "For all three cases, red corner notices were issued," a Special Cell officer said.
A Red Notice is a request to agencies globally to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar action.
As per officials, Sachin Bishnoi's extradition is expected to reveal new facts about Moosewala's murder. Bishnoi allegedly handled the logistics for the murder and subsequently fled India. His extradition is anticipated to provide crucial leads to uncover missing links in the singer's murder case.