Sidhu Moose Wala Murder Planned In UP, Weapons Imported From Pak: Sources

The conspiracy to kill Punjabi singer and rapper Sidhu Moose Wala, who was shot dead in May last year, was hatched in Uttar Pradesh, sources said. 

New photographs from the investigation show several members of the gang involved in the fatal shooting roaming around in Ayodhya and Lucknow. According to sources, the Bishnoi gang was originally tasked to target a big "white-collar" person in Uttar Pradesh for a "big scandal". However, the gang's plan failed, prompting them to carry out the popular singer's killing, sources said.

The pictures that have recently been released were taken shortly before Moose Wala's murder.

Clearly visible in the photographs are some of Bishnoi gang's sharpshooters like Sachin Thapan Bishnoi, Sachin Bhiwani and Kapil Pandit. Sachin Bishnoi was extradited from Azerbaijan earlier this month and was produced in a Delhi court, which remanded him in police custody for 10 days.

Sachin Bishnoi, according to sources, is the closest aide of Lawrence Bishnoi, and is said to have stayed with other gang members in different parts of UP for several days.

The pictures show a collection of foreign weapons, including modern pistols that were specially imported from Pakistan, sources said. The photographs show the weapons that were used to fire more than 100 bullets at Moose Wala. 

The Bishnoi gang shooters stayed in a farmhouse in Ayodhya for several days, where they practiced firing with their weapons. The farmhouse belonged to a local leader named Vikas Singh.

Investigating agencies have now begun to identify the Bishnoi gang's associates in Uttar Pradesh. Delhi Police will take Thapan to Ayodhya to probe the case, sources have added. 

Last week, Dharmanjot Singh Kahlon, an international arms dealer closely associated with Bishnoi and gangster Goldy Brar, was detained in California, US. 

Brar and Bishnoi are both accused in the murder case. Brar is believed to be hiding in Canada, while Bishnoi is in the Bathinda Central Jail. Kahlon is accused of supplying the weapons that were allegedly used in Moose Wala's murder. 

Moose Wala was 28 when he was shot dead in Punjab's Mansa district on May 29 last year. He was among 424 people whose security was scaled back by the Bhagwant Mann government as part of its efforts to curb VIP culture in the state. 

The singer was earlier protected by four armed personnel, however, the cover was scaled down to two armed guards.

Moose Wala and two of his friends were driving to the village of Jawahar Ke in Punjab when they were attacked. Their SUV was sprayed with bullets, and Moose Wala was found slumped on his seat, bleeding heavily. He was rushed to a hospital, but doctors pronounced him dead on arrival.