The Punjab Police on Sunday arrested two alleged aides of Canada-based Sikh separatist Arshdeep Singh, alias Arsh Dalla, in connection with the murder of activist Gurpreet Singh Hari Nau in Faridkot.
Nau, alias Bhodi, was shot dead on October 9 while returning home on his motorbike.
Police had then claimed that Dalla was behind the killing. They also alleged the involvement of Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh, who is lodged in Assam’s Dibrugarh jail under the National Security Act.
On Sunday, the police said they had arrested Anmolpreet Singh, alias Vishal, from Barnala and Navjot Singh, alias Neetu, from Kharar. They had also arrested Navjot Singh’s brother Balvir Singh, alias Kalu, for aiding the two accused.
Anmolpreet Singh and Navjot Singh are also accused of killing a person identified as Jaswant Singh Gill in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior on November 7.
“The person killed was already a convicted criminal undergoing life imprisonment, out on parole for 15 days when he was killed by both shooters,” The Hindu quoted a police press release as saying.
The accused were also allegedly involved in a firing and extortion attempt on a businessman in Zirakpur, Punjab, on October 18.
The police said they had seized a Zigana 9mm pistol with seven cartridges, a .30 bore pistol with four cartridges, Rs 27,500 in cash and a fake Aadhaar card from the accused.
They claimed that Anmolpreet Singh and Navjot Singh’s arrest has thwarted four potential target killings.
Born in 1996 in a village near Ludhiana, Dalla is accused of being involved in several crimes, including murder, extortion, targeted killings and terrorism, reported The Hindu.
He was designated as a terrorist by the Union Home Ministry in January 2023 under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.
The National Investigation Agency has been investigating multiple cases against him and has arrested several of his aides, including Baljeet Singh, who was detained at Delhi airport after arriving from the United Arab Emirates last month.
Dalla was a close associate of Khalistan Tiger Force chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was killed by masked gunmen near Vancouver in June last year.
In September 2023, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told his country’s parliament that intelligence agencies were actively pursuing “credible allegations” tying agents of the Indian government to Nijjar’s killing.
New Delhi had rejected Canada’s allegations as “absurd and motivated” and said they were an attempt by Ottawa to divert attention from the fact that it was providing shelter to those threatening India’s sovereignty.
Diplomatic ties between India and Canada have been strained for more than a year.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!