- Punjab-origin NIA-wanted gangster Sukhdool Singh shot dead in Canada
- Sukhdool Singh, alias Duneke, was part of the Khalistan movement in Canada.
- Sukhdool, an associate of the Devinder Bambiha Gang in Punjab, escaped to Canada in 2017 on forged documents.
- He was booked in seven criminal cases at that time, the police allegedly mentioned only five cases and skipped the two in which he was declared a proclaimed offender.
- On Wednesday, his name was found among the list of 43 gangsters released by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) which sought information about his illegal properties.
- His murder on Wednesday night is similar to the killing of terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in inter-gang warfare in Surrey in June.
Sukhdool Singh Gill alias Sukha Duneke, an alleged ally of the Bambiha gang, was shot dead in Canada’s Winnipeg by unidentified assailants Wednesday. Duneke was wanted in Punjab in cases of extortion, attempt to murder, and murder.
According to Punjab police officials, Duneke had fled to Canada in 2017 and had since been running an extortion racket. His name also figured in a list of forty persons released by the NIA on Tuesday for allegedly being involved in terror-related activities.
The Bambiha gang, which Duneke was allegedly working with, has a rivalry with the Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar gangs, police said. Duneke is also accused in the killing of Kabaddi player Sandeep Naggal Ambian, who was shot dead during a Kabaddi match in March 2022 in Punjab’s Malian village. It was alleged that he had provided the hideout to the killers at a relative’s home in Amritsar.
In June last year, an FIR was registered against two Punjab police personnel for allegedly helping Duneke get a passport. The FIR was registered on the orders of the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) of the Punjab Police.
A probe had suggested that in 2017, when Duneke had applied for the passport, two policemen who submitted his police verification report and criminal history were allegedly negligent in their duty and did not report all the cases registered against him.
Although he was booked in seven criminal cases at that time, the police allegedly mentioned only five cases and skipped the two in which he was declared a proclaimed offender.
As per details of the FIR, the Anti-Gangster Task Force in its letter dated June 11, 2022, to the Moga police wrote, “As per reliable input, Sukhdoor Singh Gill has managed to obtain an Indian passport due to the negligence of the police officials in reporting the criminal history of Sukhdoor Singh Gill in the police verification report for issuing of the passport. A criminal case needs to be registered against Gill and the police officials.”
(With inputs from agencies)
