Sidhu Moosewala murder: 3 arrests by Delhi police raise questions about Punjab police functioning

Punjabi singer Shubdeep Singh Sidhu Moosewala was shot dead on May 29 in Mansa district.

The arrested have been identified as Priyavrat and Kashish (the alleged shooters), and their associate Keshav Kumar.

Troubled by Lawrence Bishnoi

Meanwhile, Punjab police have also made serious observations about the influence of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is allegedly involved in the murder of Sidhu Moosewala.

In its status report submitted to Punjab Director General of Police on June 15, Punjab police observed how Lawrence Bishnoi managed to get himself shifted to Rajasthan Jail and then to Delhi’s Tihar Jail to avoid staying in the custody of Punjab jails.

“Lawrence Bishnoi is a dreaded gangster who has around 50 cases registered against him in the states of Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana, Chandigarh and Punjab. He has been operating his gang from Delhi’s Tihar and Rajasthan jails with the help of his associates and indulging in extortion, murders, etc. He has associated with the gangsters of different states and is operating at pan-India level now,” reads the status report.

It further reads, “While being lodged in jail, he has got several murders and extortions committed in Punjab and Chandigarh for which he was nominated as an accused. Earlier too, warrants of his production were issued by the courts in Chandigarh and in Punjab, but he procured a stay against it from the Supreme Court.”

Earlier, soon after the murder of Sidhu Moosewala, Delhi police had surprised Punjab police by taking Lawrence Bishnoi’s custody, which ended on June 14 only, and made Punjab police wait for its turn for his remand. Later Punjab police had secured seven days remand of Bishnoi, which will end on Tuesday.

Lawrence Bishnoi was shifted out of Punjab Jail on January 2, 2020.

So far, the SIT has arrested 10 people, including Lawrence Bishnoi, for their alleged involvement in Sidhu Moosewala murder case and has also identified four shooters involved in the incident. But Punjab police have failed to arrest any shooters so far.

Punjab police ‘sleeping at the wheel’

Delhi police have claimed that there were three groups of shooters and they had been planning and moving around to kill Sidhu Moosewala for weeks. They were not only carrying AK-47 but also grenades and grenade launchers in their vehicles.

This high-profile murder took place 20 days after RPG attack on the Punjab police intelligence office in Mohali. So far, none has been arrested in the attack that took place on May 9 on the Intelligence office.

Now, the Delhi police claim of shooters carrying eight grenades and grenade launchers has raised many questions about Punjab police.

Free movement of gangsters with such a huge consignment of weapons to kill Sidhu Moosewala was alarming, especially when on April 25, 2022, Delhi police had arrested a shooter Shahrukh, who had admitted that he conducted a recce of Sidhu Moosewala for the Lawrence Bishnoi gang and was paid to kill him.

Delhi police sources said that Shahrukh had come to kill Sidhu Moosewala, but he couldn’t execute the plan due to high security of Sidhu Moosewala.

Delhi police had informed Punjab police about plans of Shahrukh and Lawrence Bishnoi gang, and Punjab police had further informed Sidhu Moosewala’s family.

But instead of taking any protective measure, Punjab police reduced Sidhu Moosewala’s security a day before his murder and it was also made public.

Taking off the security cover made Sidhu Moosewala a sitting duck. The shooters managed to carry out the attack in broad daylight and fled the scene.

Delhi police official said, “Special cell of Delhi police has extensively worked on organised gangs and has previously worked with Punjab police in solving sensational cases of Vicky Middukhera and Sandeep Nangal Ambia by arresting the main shooters involved in those cases. In the Sidhu Moosewala murder case, too, the special cell had already arrested some of the major gangsters of Lawrence Bishnoi gang like Kala Jathedi and Kala Rana who were involved in multiple heinous cases in NCR region. The special cell is working in close coordination with Punjab police to get the perpetrators of this crime to justice.”