9 held for murder of sarpanch, kabaddi promoter: Punjab cops

The DGP said the Punjab Police obtained the transit remand of both shooters until January 14, and that they were being brought to Amritsar by air.

Jharmal Singh was shot at point-blank range during a wedding ceremony at Marigold Marriage Palace in Amritsar at around 2.30-3 pm on January 4, shortly after the bride and groom had left the venue. CCTV footage showed the two shooters walking into the wedding venue, one of them pulling out a gun and firing at Singh’s head before fleeing the spot. Singh was rushed to a hospital, but succumbed to his injuries. Jarmal had survived at least three previous attempts on his life, including a shooting at his vehicle in March 2025.

About the Balachauria murder case, police said in an intelligence-led operation, the Punjab Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) on Monday arrested two shooters Karan Pathak, alias Karan Defaulter, and Tarandeep Singh in Howrah, with the assistance of the police from Sikkim, Mumbai and West Bengal, as well as the West Bengal State Task Force and the Central intelligence agencies. In addition, Akash, a close relative of foreign-based handler Amar Khabe Rajputa, has also been apprehended, police said.

“All arrested persons will be brought to Punjab for further investigation. Efforts are on to identify and apprehend remaining associates to completely unravel the case,” , a senior police officer said.

Balachauria was killed on December 15, 2025, while a kabaddi tournament was in progress in Mohali. Police had said that Balachauria’s killing was primarily linked to “rivalry for control and dominance over lucrative kabaddi tournaments”.

Shortly after Balachauria’s murder, Dony Bal claimed responsibility through social media posts, calling it “revenge” for the killing of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala in 2022 and alleging Rana sheltered the singer’s killers. The Dony Bal-Prabh Dasuwal gang alleged that Balachauria was close to gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria. The police largely dismissed the Moosewala revenge angle as a cover narrative.

An alleged planner of the killing, Harpinder Singh alias Middu, was killed in a police encounter in Mohali’s Lalru area on December 17, 2025. Another alleged mastermind, Aishdeep Singh, linked to Dony Bal, was also arrested at Delhi airport, police said.

In the sarpanch murder, carried out due to old enmity, gangster Prabh Dasuwal, who is said to be based in Portugal, was the mastermind, the DGP said, adding: “The state is set to launch a decisive campaign against organised crime, with a focus on extraditing criminals operating from abroad.”

The DGP said, “CCTV trail and technical inputs about assailants were analysed from different places, including Mohali, Delhi, Maharashtra, Namded Sahib, Bihar, and they were ultimately tracked to Raipur.”

“Jobanjeet of Patti and Jobanjeet from Tarn Taran provided support to the three accused. The CCTV trail was followed for 110 km to trace the accused’s escape route. Kulwinder Singh, Armandeep Singh and Harpreet Singh provided logistical support to them, and they were arrested in Tarn Taran today (Monday),” the DGP said.

He said financial help was provided to the accused from abroad, while they were on the run, and that they were part of “a sophisticated criminal operation managed from abroad”.

“Organised crime will be targeted by the Punjab Police as directed by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. In an end-to-end manner, the eco-system of the criminals will be identified and busted, and no one will be spared. If someone does crime in Punjab, then Punjab Police will hold those people accountable,” Yadav said.

Asked how the sarpanch was targeted despite being provided with police security and how the assailants escaped despite many security personnel being present at the wedding venue, the DGP said, “Lapses on the part of the police personnel will be investigated, and those found guilty will be punished.”

Taking serious note of the deteriorating law and order situation and repeated targeted killings in public places, the Punjab and Haryana High Court took suo motu cognisance of Balachauria’s murder, and summoned the Punjab DGP in person on January 15. The court demanded a detailed explanation from the Punjab government about security arrangements at the tournament venue, the number of police personnel present/deployed, steps taken to curb gangster culture, extortion, targeted killings, and the glorification of crime in Punjab. The court observed that “criminals are having a free run” and expressed concern over recurring incidents despite previous affidavits submitted by police on anti-gangster measures.