Gangster from Punjab who was on NIA terror list killed in Canada

The Bambiha gang, which Duneke was allegedly working with, has rivalry with the Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar gangs, police said. Duneke is also an accused in the killing of kabaddi player Sandeep Naggal Ambian, who was shot dead during a match in March 2022 in Punjab’s Mallian village. It was alleged that he had provided the hideout to the killers at a relative’s home in Amritsar.

Soon after his murder, Punjab’s rival gangsters, Bishnoi and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, claimed responsibility for the act in separate Facebook posts.

First, Bishnoi shared a post saying: “Sukhdool had murdered our brother Gurlal Brar and was also behind the killing of Vicky Middukhera as well as kabaddi player Sandeep Nagal Ambian.”

Moments later, Bhagwanpuria too claimed responsibility for the murder. Bhagwanpuria, who was once a close aide of Bishnoi, claimed he too was taking revenge for Ambian’s killing.

Duneke (40) hailed from a prosperous farming family of Duneke Kalan village with 15 acres of land. His father, an oil tanker driver, was killed by terrorists while heading from Baghapurana to Moga in the 1990s. Initially, Sukha secured a job under the category reserved for victims of terror, but he did not show up for work regularly and was sacked.

He began his criminal career by illegally grabbing land while working with local criminals in Moga and surrounding areas. Subsequently, he became associated with the Bambiha gang and got involved in activities such as contract killings and extortion, police said.

In 2017, Sukha left the country on a tourist visa sponsored by a family member based in Canada, and never returned.

In June last year, an FIR was registered against two Punjab police personnel for allegedly helping Duneke get a passport. The FIR was registered on the orders of the Anti-Gangster Task Force of the Punjab Police.

The probe had suggested that in 2017, when Duneke had applied for the passport, two policemen who submitted his police verification report and criminal history were allegedly negligent in their duty and did not report all the cases registered against him.

A chargesheet filed by the NIA against Duneke and other gangsters earlier this year had alleged that money they collected from extortion was ultimately used to fund the cause of Khalistan and plan acts of terror.

“As part of this planning, they have conspired to eliminate predetermined targets for creating terror among the people. It has been established that the conspirators continue to operate from jails and abroad through their outside jail executioners/financiers and arrange weapons locally and through Pak-based conspirators,” the NIA alleged in its chargesheet.

“Accused Kaushal Choudhary, Naveen Bali, Sukhpreet Buddha, Sunil Balyan alias Tillu Tajpuriya, Amit Dagar, Bhupinder Singh alias Bhupi Rana, who are already lodged in different jails, have conspired with their foreign based associates – Arshdeep Singh alias Dalla, Gaurav Patyal, Sukhdool Singh alias Sukha Duneke, Dinesh Sharma, Daler Singh, Neeraj, Gurpinder Singh, Manprit Singh Peeta – to terrorise singers, property dealers, businessmen and other common people and extort money from them,” the chargesheet stated.

“Criminals in India are procuring weapons locally and through Pak-based conspirators, associates to extort and eliminate pre-selected targets… to create terror. In their urge to increase their areas of influence, they have also aligned and conspired with Arshdeep, who is designated terrorist and a pro-Khalistani associated with Khalistan Tiger Force. In return for weapons, these syndicate members carry out targeted killing and extortion for Khalistani elements to organise funds for Khalistan cause,” the chargesheet read.