New Delhi: Two more people, including the one who shot popular Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala from a close range, have been arrested by Delhi Police”s Special Cell, officials said Monday.
With this, the city police has so far arrested five people in connection with the case, they said.
The Delhi Police arrested Ankit Sirsa (19) and Sachin Bhiwani (25) Sunday night. The two wanted criminals belong to Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar gang alliance, they said.
Meanwhile, the police have found a new video linked to the case in the mobile phone of Ankit. The purported video shows five men in a car flaunting their guns, celebrating the killing of Moosewala. A Punjabi song can also be heard in the backdrop of the video.
According to police, Ankit was one of the shooters involved in the killing of Moosewala, while Bhiwani was responsible for harbouring four of the shooters. Bhiwani had come out of jail in October 2021.
A senior police officer said Bhiwani, a native of Haryana, handles the operations of Lawrence Bishnoi gang in Rajasthan and also has his nexus across Haryana, Rajasthan and bordering areas of Punjab.
He is also wanted in a case at Churu in Rajasthan.
Addressing a press conference, Special Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) H G S Dhaliwal said after the initial arrests made in the case, multiple teams were working extensively to nab those involved in providing logistical support, weapons and hideout facilities to them.
“Our teams conducted raids in six states, including Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat and Delhi. Our teams continued to work on the leads received and developed them diligently.
“On Sunday, at around 11 pm, our team apprehended Ankit, one of the youngest shooters who shot at Moosewala from close range. He fired simultaneously from two pistols and was closest to Sidhu Moosewala’s car during the shootout.
His associate Sachin Bhiwani was also arrested,” he said.
Ankit was the closest to Moosewala’s vehicle while firing and is one of the close aide of main shooter Priyavrat alias Fauji and hails from the same region as him, he said.
Accused Priyavrat has been already arrested by the Delhi Police”s Special Cell team June 19 from Kutch area, police said.
The accused Priyavrat had called Goldy Brar, who had claimed responsibility for the killing, after the incident and informed that “the job was done”, they said.
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The officer also said that Ankit, a resident of Sersa village in Haryana, is also named in two other cases of attempt to murder in Rajasthan.
After the killing, the accused men continuously changed hideouts in Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Delhi, he said.
They used mobile phones for communication through end to end encrypted chat platforms, he added.
Bhiwani provided the shooters all support before and after the incident, the officer said.
“He provided shelter to the four shooters. Later, he helped them escape to Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and provided shelter and transportation facilities to them besides handling their weapons,” he said.
Bhiwani also indulged his associate Kapil Pandit in this process. Both of them played main role in facilitation of the alleged shooters, he added.
According to police, Bhiwani had become the synonym of terror in Haryana and bordering areas of Punjab as he was engaged in the criminal activities on ground on behalf of Lawrence Bishnoi-Goldy Brar-Kala Jathedi.
Criminal cases of attempt to murder, dacoity and abduction have been registered against him, including a case of extortion, in Churu, which he allegedly committed on the directions of Lawrence Bishnoi- Sampat Nehra alliance in 2022.
A 9 mm pistol along with 10 live cartridges, a 30 mm pistol with nine live cartridges, three police uniforms of Punjab Police and two mobile handsets along with a dongle and SIM card have been seized from their possession, police said.
They added that alleged shooters Deepak Mundi, a resident of Moga in Punjab, and his associate have been absconding and efforts are being made to nab them.
Last month, the Special Cell arrested three people, including two shooters, in connection with the killing of Moosewala.
The accused were identified as Priyavrat alias Fauji (26), a resident of Sonipat in Haryana; Kashish (24), also from the state’s Jhajjar district; and Keshav Kumar (29), a resident of Bhatinda in Punjab.
Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, known as Sidhu Moosewala, was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Punjab’s Mansa district May 29.
