International arms dealer Kahlon detained in US, federal agencies to initiate extradition

In a major breakthrough in Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala’s murder case, the arms dealer who provided weapons for the same has been detained by the police in the United States. Dharmanjot Singh Kahlon was picked up in California. He is bleieved to be closely associated with gangsters Goldy Brar and Lawrence Bishnoi.

The Indian federal agencies have got in touch with the FBI to extradite Kahlon to India. Hailing from Amritsar, Kahlon was a key arms dealer for many Punjabi gangsters in India and abroad, especially those of Bishnoi and Bambiha Gangs. He is accused of smuggling AK-47 rifles and other sophisticated weapons. He has a case under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) filed against him and a lookout notice was already issued. Delhi Police’s Special Cell, Punjab Police and the anti-terror agency NIA were on the hunt for Kahlon.

Kahlon came on the radar of law enforcement agencies after he was named as a supplier by gangster Sachin Bishnoi.

Sachin, a relative of Lawrence Bishnoi, was recently extradited to India from Azerbaijan and is one of the key accused in Moosewala murder. Bishnoi told the Counter Intelligence that Kahlon supplied weapons to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Kahlon, who was hiding in the US, was associated with gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuriya, who made him get in touch with Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar.

Sidhu Moosewala, 28, was shot dead on May 29 last year in Punjab’s Mansa, a day after the state government had curtailed his security cover.

Bishnoi and Brar claimed responsibility .While Brar is believed to be hiding in Canada, Bishnoi is lodged in Punjab’s Bathinda central jail. Meanwhile NIA on Wednesday filed two supplementary chargesheets against 12 key members of the Lawrence Bishnoi and Bambiha gangs as part of its probe into terrorist-gangster-drug smuggler networks. In a related development, a special court in Delhi declared seven absconders as proclaimed offenders (POs) in a multi-state terrorist-gangster nexus case, the official said. Among those declared as proclaimed offenders was “listed terrorist” Arshdeep Dala of the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF).

In the supplementary chargesheets, the NIA named three members of the Bishnoi gang, including Lakhbir Singh alias Landa, a key member of the proscribed terror outfit Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), and nine members of the Bambiha gang, according to NIA spokesperson.

With these, the total number of accused chargesheeted by the NIA in the two cases, both registered on August 26 last year, went up to 38. On March 21 and 24, the NIA had filed two separate chargesheets against 12 members of the Bambiha gang and 14 of the Bishnoi gang.