CHANDIGARH: The parents of foreign-based notorious gangster Satinderjeet Singh, alias Goldy Brar, have been arrested by the Punjab Police in connection with an extortion case registered in Muktsar district last year.
Of the 61 gangsters from Punjab currently operating abroad, 18 are in the United States, nine in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), six each in Canada and Germany, and five in the United Kingdom, according to a list compiled by the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) of the Punjab Police.
Goldy Brar’s father, Shamsher Singh, and mother, Preetpal Kaur, hailing from Adesh Nagar on Kotkapura Road in Muktsar, were taken into custody in Amritsar. The family originally belongs to the Faridkot district. The arrests followed investigations linked to a case registered last year on the complaint of a resident of Udekaran village.
Shamsher Singh, a former Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) in the state police, was compulsorily retired in 2021 after allegations surfaced of his involvement in a murder case in Muktsar district.
Senior Superintendent of Police Abhimanyu Rana stated that Shamsher Singh and Preetpal Kaur were arrested following investigative leads in the ongoing case.
Goldy Brar is the prime accused in the 2022 murder of Punjabi singer Shubhdeep Singh, alias Sidhu Moosewala, in Mansa district, and had publicly claimed responsibility for the killing. He left India in 2017 for Canada on a student visa and is believed to currently reside in the United States.
In 2024, the Union government designated Brar as an “individual terrorist” under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for his alleged involvement in smuggling high-grade arms, ammunition and explosives into India using drones, intended for targeted killings. He was previously a prominent member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang but broke away last year and is now reportedly associated with the Brar–Rohit Godara–Kala Jatheri gang.
The arrests come amid a major crackdown on gangsters operating from overseas under 'Operation Prahaar’, later renamed 'Gangstran Te Vaar’. The Punjab Police have mapped locations linked to around 1,200 associates of nearly 61 foreign-based gangsters, as well as 600 of their family members, all allegedly involved in criminal activities in the state.
According to the AGTF list, five gangsters are in Europe, three each in Australia and Portugal, two each in Thailand and Malaysia, and one each in Pakistan, Italy, Brazil and Indonesia. Of these, 36 hail from the Majha region of Punjab, with the remainder from other parts of the state. Red-corner notices have been issued for 21 foreign-based gangsters.
The state police have announced cash rewards for information on these 61 gangsters, including Satinder Singh (alias Goldy Brar), Arshdeep Singh (alias Arsh Dala), Lakhbir Singh (alias Landa), Jahar Singh (alias Paras), Rajan Bhagat, and Davinder Pal Singh (alias Gopi) in Canada, linked to the Jaipal Bhullar gang; Dalbir Singh (alias Dalbira), Gaurav Patyal (alias Lucky Patial), Gurdev Singh (alias Jaisal), Amritpal Singh (alias Amrit Bhath), Gurlal Singh, Gurpreet Singh (alias Gopi), Jarmanjit Singh Malhi, Shamsher Singh, Satbir Singh, Harichand, Karamvir Singh, Randeep Malik, Surya Pratap Singh, and Rajesh Kumar (alias Sonu Khattri) in the USA.
Harvinder Sandhu (alias Rinda) is in Pakistan, Rohit Godara in Europe – the handler of the Brar-Godara syndicate – and Donny Bal of the Bambiha gang is wanted in connection with the killing of kabaddi promoter Rana Balachauria.