Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, June 17: Helped by a small clue, a fuel bill, the Punjab police have succeeded in cracking the murder of the noted Punjabi singer and Congress leader Sidhu Moose Wala who was gunned down in broad daylight on the outskirts of Mansa town on May 29.
The big lead was the recovery of a fuel receipt (dated May 25, 2022) from the Bolero car used in the crime, which was abandoned 13 km away, near Khayala village, the police said, leading to the arrest of 10 accused including main conspirator gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. The police have also identified four shooters involved in the crime.
Sidhu Moose Wala – who left his house at around 5 pm on May 29 along with two persons, a neighbour and a cousin – was shot dead by unidentified people. He was driving his Mahindra Thar SUV. The Bhagwant Mann government had formed a Special Investigation Team to investigate the murder.
The Punjab Police recovered the fuel receipt of the petrol pump based in Fatehabad in Haryana. The same day, a police team was dispatched to the Fatehabad police station, and CCTV footage was recovered. The CCTV footage was also procured from all possible sources en-route the Bolero before and after the filling of the diesel at the fuel station.
From the footage, the police identified one person, Priyawarat of Sonipat, who was possibly a shooter, the police said. The name of the Bolero’s owner was traced from its engine and chassis number, he added. Later the police also traced all the vehicles used in the crime – a Mahindra Bolero, Toyota Corolla, and a white Maruti Suzuki Alto.
The assailants in Toyota Corolla had stopped and snatched the Alto car at gunpoint, leaving behind the Corolla, which got damaged during the incident and escaped towards Khara Barnala village followed by the white Bolero. The white Alto was also found abandoned on May 30 near Dharamkot in Moga district and the route taken by the accused was identified from the CCTV footage. Five of those arrested belong to Haryana. All have been arrested for hatching conspiracy, providing logistic support and conducting recce and harbouring the shooters, the Punjab Police said.
Sidhu Moose Wala had seen his death nearing for a long time, and he made preparations to escape, sources said. The singer had planned on acquiring bullet-proof jackets from the USA. In September, he had contacted US-based arms dealer Vicky Mann Salaudi, and told him that he would send his friend to fetch the jacket, which could shield SLR bullets. However, no friends had contacted Salaudi.
Sukhjinder Randhawa, who was the Home Minister in the previous Congress government in Punjab also said Moose Wala wanted to become an MLA only for better protection.
A total of five gangsters were involved in the killing of Moose Wala – Lawrence Bishnoi, Goldie Brar, Sachin Thapan, Anmol Bishnoi and Vikram Brar. Canada-based Goldie, and Dubai-based gangster Vikram Brar are the key hatchers; while Anmol and Sachin played key roles – both are now in Europe.
Apart from main accused Lawrence Bishnoi, the police has arrested nine others. All have been accused of conspiracy, providing logistic support, conducting recce and harbouring the shooters. The gangsters have claimed responsibility for the murder through Facebook posts.