NEW DELHI: A 28-year-old alleged member of the Goldy Dhillon gang has been arrested for his involvement in the firing incident outside comedian Kapil Sharma’s café in Surrey, Canada. He was the key strategist responsible for planning, executing and providing logistical support for the firing at Kap’s Café, police said on Friday.
The accused has been identified as Bandhu Maan Singh Sekhon, a resident of Ludhiana in Punjab. He had fled to India following a crackdown by Surrey Police in which several of his associates were arrested.
The arrest follows the earlier capture of two key associates of international fugitive gangster Sonu Khatri, along with the seizure of eight foreign-made semi-automatic pistols and 84 live cartridges. They revealed that one pistol had been delivered to Sekhon, establishing his involvement in the interstate and cross-border illegal arms supply network linked to Khatri, currently operating from the USA.
During the investigation, police received a tip-off, following which a team moved to Ludhiana and arrested Sekhon. He disclosed receiving an illegal weapon, which was recovered from his car, and admitted to his role in the series of firings at Kap’s Café, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav said.
Kap’s Café, owned by Sharma and located in Surrey, British Columbia, has been targeted in three separate and violent firing incidents since its opening in July.
The first attack took place on July 10, when multiple shots were fired at the café from a moving vehicle. Initially, Harjit Singh Laddi, associated with the banned Khalistani militant group Babbar Khalsa International, claimed responsibility, citing alleged insults to Nihang Sikhs on Sharma’s television show. Later, foreign-based gangster Goldy Dhillon also claimed responsibility, the DCP said.
The second attack occurred on August 7, with shots again fired from a vehicle. This time, responsibility was jointly claimed by gangsters Goldy Dhillon and Kulveer Sidhu through social media posts, describing the firing as a “warning.” They alleged that Sharma ignored their calls, suggesting possible links to extortion demands or the gang’s conflict with actor Salman Khan. The third firing took place on October 16.
Interrogation revealed that Sekhon travelled to Canada on September 13 on an employment visa and was residing in Brampton. He initially worked as a supervisory officer in a pharmaceutical company, where he came into contact with members of the Goldy Dhillon gang, Daljot Rehal, Seepu, Sharry and other Punjab-based associates.
He joined the gang, became a key operative and started providing logistical support. He was previously associated with the Harry Chatha gang and had been arrested for criminal conspiracy in extortion cases targeting India-based businessmen living in Canada and the USA, under the directions of Chatha, a gangster-turned-terrorist currently working for Pakistan’s ISI and living in Pakistan, the DCP said.
Sekhon was previously booked in Canada for conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, unauthorised possession of a prohibited firearm, and careless handling of a firearm.
In the firing incident at Kap’s Café, the shooters were identified as Daljot Rehal and Gurjot, who were acting under the directions of Seepu — a wanted accused in several extortion and firing cases in Canada, and known to be the main conspirator and a key operative of the Goldy Dhillon gang, the DCP added.
After Seepu’s arrest by Canadian Police, Sekhon’s name surfaced as the prime conspirator, planner, executor and logistics supporter behind the firing attacks in Canada. Sekhon came under the radar of Canadian Police, following which he returned to India on August 23, Yadav said.