Terrorist Arsh Dalla mastermind in a murder case, links also of jailed Amritpal Singh: Punjab DGP

Chandigarh: The Punjab Police on Friday said it has solved the murder case of a Sikh activist Gurpreet Singh with gangster-turned-terrorist Arshdeep Singh emerging as mastermind.

It further said evidence also finding links of jailed radical preacher Amritpal Singh to the case.

Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said here that the police have solved the murder case of Gurpreet Singh Hari Nau, also known as Bhodi, with the arrest of three members of Arshdeep Singh alias Arsh Dalla, who emerged as the mastermind.

Those arrested have been identified as Bilal Ahmed alias Fauji, Guramardeep Singh alias Pontu and Arshdeep Singh alias Jhandu, he said.

Gurpreet Singh Hari Nau alias Bhodi was shot dead on October 9 while returning home from the village Gurudwara on his motorcycle.

The DGP said investigations have revealed that the murder of Gurpreet Singh was masterminded from abroad by Arsh Dalla and other persons.

Different modules have been used for conducting recce and executing the murder, with separate handlers based abroad, he said, adding that the criminals have used cut outs to mask the conspiracy.

"The three arrested persons constituted part of the recce module, being handled by Canada-based Karamveer Singh alias Gora. The recce module passed on crucial information to the shooter module through their handlers and cut outs," he said.

The DGP said the members of the shooter module have been identified and police teams are on manhunt to nab them.

"During investigations, evidence has come on record indicating the role of Amritpal Singh of Waris Punjab De (WPD) in the murder conspiracy. As per some statements recorded in the investigation, the murder was carried out at the behest of Amritpal Singh," he said.

Notably, Amritpal Singh, who is also an MP from Khadoor Sahib parliamentary constituency in Punjab, is currently lodged in Assam's Dibrugarh jail under the National Security Act (NSA).

Amritpal Singh, who heads the WPD outfit and has styled himself after slain Khalistani militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, was jailed along with nine of his associates under the NSA.

The DGP said the police would investigate the case on the basis of evidence in a professional manner.

"All angles and theories of crime would be examined threadbare and investigated in accordance with law," he said, adding that the criminal liability of all persons figuring in the investigations would be determined in accordance with the evidence available according to law.

Yadav said acting swiftly, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising police officials from the Faridkot district and State Special Operations Cell was constituted and separate teams assigned the tasks of visiting the scene of crime and collecting physical and digital evidences.

He said the CCTV footage at the scene of crime was examined and teams were deputed to follow the forward and backward linkages of CCTVs to determine the entry and exit routes of the assailants.

Meticulous investigation by the Faridkot district police led to analysis of CCTV footage along a 125-km stretch, which helped the police in establishing the suspects' movements and develop lead, he said.

He said mobile tower dumps at strategic places were obtained and analysed through big data analysis tools.

"At the same time, human intelligence was also obtained and developed. A large number of persons were questioned," he said, adding that contact was established with persons based abroad as well to glean intelligence.

Yadav said during investigation, information relating to wider conspiracy to target more individuals has also been received and is being probed.

The DGP reiterated that Punjab Police has been taking the matter very seriously and would get to the bottom of this conspiracy. No persons would be allowed to disturb the hard earned peace and harmony of the state, he added.

"Further investigations are ongoing and more arrests are likely to be made soon," said the DGP.