Chandigarh: Two months after Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced that Canada-based gangster Satinderjeet Singh alias Goldy Brar has been detained by the American authorities, there is still no official word from either the government of India or the state police on Brar’s detention or arrest.
Brar, a native of Faridkot district in Punjab, is wanted in multiple criminal cases by the state police, including the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala in May last year. He is said to be a close aide of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, the main accused in Moosewala’s murder. Brar, in a Facebook post, had claimed responsibility for the killing.
A Red Corner notice was issued against the Canada-based gangster in June by the Interpol.
A senior Punjab Police officer, who asked not to be named, told ThePrint on Friday: “Although much information is not available regarding what led the chief minister to make that announcement with so much authority, it seems that at that time, the Government of India had been approached by the American authorities seeking additional information on Goldy Brar. That move was probably interpreted by the Indian authorities as Brar either having been detained or kept under surveillance in the US.”
“The additional information sought by the American authorities was promptly provided by the Punjab police to the ministry of home affairs through proper channels who then forwarded it to the American authorities. As a follow up action, a team from the American authorities came to India in January and met their Indian counterparts over Brar. No information was provided by the American authorities about the Brar’s current status, ” added the officer.
Punjab director general of Police Gaurav Yadav did not respond to phone calls and messages. Earlier, during several press interactions, he had refused to comment on Brar’s detention or arrest in the US.
Despite repeated phone calls, there was no response from the Chief Minister’s Office over the issue.
Last week, the Punjab police arrested a key operative of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, Rajveer Singh. The police said that the accused was in touch with Lawrence Bishnoi and Brar for the past 13-14 years and was carrying out criminal activities at their behest.
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Timeline of events
In December last year, Mann had made the statement regarding Brar’s detention in California during a press conference in Gujarat while campaigning in the state ahead of the assembly elections.
“We have learnt only this morning and I am confirming it that Goldy Brar who was living in Canada for many years has been detained in America. A Red Corner notice has been issued against him and he will be extradited to India soon,” the chief minister said on December 2.
The chief minister’s statement followed news reports that Brar had been detained in California by the FBI.
Less than a week after the CM’s announcement, Goldy Brar claimed in an interview that he had neither been detained nor arrested in the US and that he was not in the US at all. “I would rather take a bullet than be arrested,” Brar had said in a telephonic interview with a journalist.
Following Brar’s interview, Mann’s government faced flak from the opposition over Brar’s statement.
Leader of the Opposition, the Congress’s Partap Singh Bajwa had tweeted on Goldy Brar’s arrest: “It is hard to believe what CM @BhagwantMann claims about Brar’s arrest as CM has previously been caught lying on many issues including BMW manufacturing unit. Hence, Ministry of External Affairs or Union Home Ministry should issue an official statement.”
In an interview to a television channel in December, Mann said that the information about Brar was “top secret” and that the government was in touch with the FBI over the matter.
(Edited by Anumeha Saxena)
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