CHANDIGARH: Gangsters Sachin Thapan Bishnoi and Anmol Bishnoi, who were allegedly involved in the killing of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, have been traced by the Punjab Police.
While Sachin has been detained in Azerbaijan on the request of the Indian Government, Anmol has been traced to Kenya. Both of them fled from India on fake passports issued in Delhi before the murder took place on May 29.
Sources said that the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is moving swiftly to extradite Sachin Thapan Bishnoi from Azerbaijan.
The MEA in a letter to the Punjab Police has sought all details about Sachin -- his criminal background, arrest warrants issued against him and his role in the Sidhu Moosewala murder case -- to speed up the extradition. The Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) and Mansa Police are learnt to be preparing these documents.
It is learnt that efforts are also being made to detain Anmol Bishnoi in Kenya. He is the brother of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, the mastermind behind the killing. The Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) headed by Additional DGP Pramod Ban with Assistant Inspector General of Police Gurmeet Chauhan and Deputy Superintendent of Police Bikramjit Brar had managed to pin down Anmol's location.
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Sources said that fake passports in other names were procured for both Sachin and Anmol and these passports were then issued by the Regional Passport Office, Delhi. Lawrence Bishnoi, it is said, wanted the duo to co-ordinate and execute the murder from abroad to ensure their safety.
Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav said, "The accused in the Sidhu Moosewala case Sachin Thapan Bishnoi went on fake papersto Dubai from India and then from there to Azerbaijan. He has been traced and the legal process is going on. We are hopeful that we will get him back soon. He was in touch with other gangster Goldy Brar who is in Canada and other people on the ground."
Anmol has eighteen criminal cases pending against him and he was last in Jodhpur jail from where he was released on bail on October 7 last year and Sachin is wanted in twelve criminal cases.
On August 26, the Punjab Police has filed a 1850-page chargesheet in the case in the Mansa court and named jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi as the mastermind in the case.
The chargesheet includes names of 24 alleged accused, including masterminds and shooters, who were involved in the murder. They include Lawrence Bishnoi, Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, Pawan Bishnoi, Sachin Bhiwani, Arshad Khanm Saraj Minto, Manpreet Bhao and others. The names of four accused Goldy Brar, Sachin Thapan, Anmol (Lawrence Bishnoi's brother) and Lipin Nehra are also in the chargesheet. And then there are the names of the two shooters Jagroop Roopa and Manpreet Manna who were killed in the police encounter near Amritsar.
There is a list of 122 witnesses, including eyewitnesses, friends who were present with Moosewala at the time of murder, doctors who did the post-mortem, and staff of the hotel where the shooters stayed, in the chargesheet.
On May 29, Sidhu Moosewala was shot dead in broad daylight at Jawaharke village in Mansa while he was driving a Mahindra Thar a day after his security was pruned down.