Sidhu Moosewala murder: Embarrassment for Punjab police as CBI says red-corner notice against Goldy Brar sought on May 30, a day after singer was killed

PTI

New Delhi, June 9

Setting the record straight, India’s Interpol liaison agency CBI issued a statement on Thursday saying the Punjab Police had sought a Red Corner Notice against Goldy Brar, who claimed responsibility for the killing of singer Sidhu Moosewala, only on May 30, a day after the killing.

Satinderjeet Singh, alias Goldy Brar, is currently living in Canada.

The statement from the CBI flew in the face of the Punjab Police which claimed on Wednesday that it had sought a Red Corner Notice against gangster Brar nearly 10 days before Moosewala’s killing on May 29.

The CBI said a communication was received from the Bureau of Investigation, Punjab Police through an email on May 30 at 12.25 PM with a letter dated May 19 attached in it seeking issuance of Red Notice against Brar in two FIRs registered by Punjab Police—FIR No. 409 dated November 12, 2020 and FIR No. 44 dated February 18, 2021 -- at City Police Station, Faridkot.

Twenty-seven-year-old singing sensation Moosewala, who had fought the recent assembly elections in Punjab on a Congress ticket, was shot dead on May 29 by unidentified assailants in Punjab’s Mansa district, a day after the state government curtailed his security cover. Over 30 empty cases of bullets were found near his SUV in which he was killed.

“In the present matter, the proposal for issuance of Red Notice (RCN) against Satinderjeet Singh alias Goldy...a hard copy of the same proposal was received from Punjab police in IPCU, CBI, New Delhi on May 30, 2022,” it said.

The communication was sent nearly six months after a court had issued warrants against accused Brar in both cases probed by the state police, sources said.

The CBI said Red Notice is neither mandatory nor a pre-requisite for sending extradition request, more so when the location of subject is known.

The Red Notice alerts enforcement agencies of 195 Interpol member countries to locate and detain a fugitive wanted by a requesting member country.

FIR number 409 pertains to a shootout near the Kataria petrol pump in Faridkot on November 11, 2020 in which a charge sheet was filed in November, 2021 and warrants were issued in October, 1, 2021, they said.

The second FIR pertains to the murder of Gurlal Singh in Faridkot on February 18, 2021 in which a charge sheet was also filed in November, 2021. The warrants were opened on September 13, 2021, they said.

“After processing for confirmation of pre-requisite requirements, the Red Notice proposal was forwarded expeditiously to INTERPOL (Headquarters), Lyon on 02-06-2022,” the CBI’s spokesperson said.

He said the International Police Cooperation Unit (IPCU) of the CBI coordinates the requests of sister law enforcement agencies for informal coordination through Interpol, including requests for issuance of colour-coded notices.

“IPCU, CBI checks the requests for eligibility as per Rules of Processing Data of Interpol so that the request is complete and the notices are issued early. The final issuance of notices is done by Interpol (HQ), Lyon (France) in line with Rules for Processing of Data,” he said.

The agency said the request for issuance of Red Notice against Harwinder Singh Rinda had been sent to the Interpol headquarters.

“It is further clarified that Interpol channels are used for informal international police-to-police cooperation and a Red Notice is neither mandatory nor a pre-requisite for sending extradition request, more so when the location of subject is known,” the statement said.

He said the CBI has been assisting all law enforcement agencies in the matter of international cooperation and committed to assist in the best possible manner through various international channels.

A Punjab Police spokesperson had said the state police has been leaving no stone unturned for the extradition of gangster Goldy Brar.

Brar, a native of Sri Muktsar Sahib, had gone to Canada on a student visa in 2017 and he is an active member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.

He had claimed the responsibility of Moosewala’s killing.

The murder was in retaliation of youth Akali leader Vicky Middukhera’s killing last year.

The Punjab Police has arrested eight persons so far in connection with Moosewala’s killing.

The police spokesperson said they had also sought a Red Corner Notice against gangster-turned-terrorist Harwinder Singh Sandhu, alias Rinda, of Rattoke village, Tarn Taran.

Rinda, who is responsible for inducting and operationalising many terrorist modules in Punjab in the recent past, is now based in Pakistan.

The terrorist backed by Pakistan’s ISI has also been responsible for smuggling a huge quantity of arms and ammunition into India, said the police.

Huge quantity of arms and ammunition and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) recovered from four persons arrested in Karnal in May also belonged to Rinda, it said.

Recently, he was responsible for a rocket-propelled grenade attack on the state police’s Mohali-based intelligence headquarters and an IED attack on a police post in Kahlwan of Anandpur Sahib.