Who is Sukha Duneke, whose killing has been raised by Canadian officials?

As per the report, his killing came less than a day after he was featured in a wanted list of gangsters posted on X by the NIA. It also came two days after Canadian PM Justin Trudeau publicly accused India of killing Nijjar.

A criminal dossier of Duneke shows that he had fled to Canada in 2017, and had since been running an extortion racket. His name also figured in a list of 43 persons released by the NIA last year for allegedly being involved in terror-related activities.

A chargesheet filed by the NIA against Duneke and other gangsters last year had alleged, “As part of their 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 Bambiha gang, which Duneke was allegedly working with, has rivalry with the Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar gangs, NIA officials 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 Duneke’s murder last year, his rival gangsters, Lawrence 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.

His criminal dossier also revealed that 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,” an official said.

In 2017, Sukha left the country on a tourist visa sponsored by a family member based in Canada, and never returned. In 2022, an FIR was registered against two Punjab police personnel for allegedly helping Duneke get a passport.