Jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi has told investigators taht his gang members, including Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar, had planned and carried out the killing of Punjabi singer and Congress leader Sidhu Moosewala.
Officials told PTI that Bishnoi, who is in the custody of the Delhi Police's Special Cell, has said that a "rivlary" developed between him and Moosewala after Akali Dal youth leader Vikramjit Singh alias Vicky Middukhera was killed on August 7 last year. Bishnoi and his gang have blamed Moosewala for killing Middukhera.
After Moosewala was killed on Sunday in Punjab's Mansa district, the Punjab Police had said they suspected the killing to be a fallout of an inter-gang rivalry. Brar had taken responsibility of the killing in a social media post.
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Moosewala had been on Bishnoi's radar since Middukhera's killing, for which he and his gangster associates believed Moosewala via his manager Shaganpreet hired Kaushal Chaudhary's gang members, according to The Tribune. Following Moosewala's murder on Sunday, the Punjab Police had mentioned that Moosewala's manager Shaganpreet's name had indeed cropped up in Middukhera's murder. Shaganpreet fled to Australia after his name emerged.
Officials told PTI that Bishnoi has been very uncooperative and has not yet disclosed the names of his gang members who were the real conspirators being the killing.
The Delhi Police Special Cell, which is investigating the matter, got the custody of Bishnoi for three days after arresting him from Tihar in a case registered under the Arms Act, officials added.
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Officials said, "Bishnoi has been very uncooperative so far. But during interrogation, he accepted that he had a rivalry with Moosewala and claimed that his gang members killed the singer.
"He has revealed that Goldy Brar was one of the gang members who conspired and executed the killing of Moosewala but has not yet disclosed the names of other associates who were the real conspirators and executioners of the killing.
"Bishnoi has not disclosed the exact motive behind executing the killing and has been uncooperative about revealing other details about the murder."
Bishnoi, who is facing nearly 60 cases, was lodged in Central Jail number eight of Tihar.
Gangster Kala Jathedi and his aide Kala Rana, who were in police custody in a different case, were also questioned in connection with the killing of Moosewala.
After questioning Bishnoi in Tihar prison, he was produced at the Patiala House court and was remanded in three days of police custody for questioning in connection with the case where three criminals were arrested after a brief encounter with the Special Cell's unit last month, According to officials.
During interrogation, the arrested criminals had disclosed that the weapons recovered from them were supplied by Bishnoi, a senior police official said.
The development came a day after a Delhi court refused to entertain a plea filed by Bishnoi seeking a direction to the jail authorities not to give his custody to Punjab police, which suspects that he had plotted the singer's killing.
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Bishnoi has moved the Delhi High Court under the apprehension of a fake encounter by the Punjab Police.
(With PTI inputs)
