Vicky Middukhera murder case: Court order makes no reference to Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala as co-conspirator
The Mohali court order earlier this week convicting three shooters for the murder of Youth Akal Dal leader Vicky Middukhera on August 7, 2021, has not pointed out the alleged involvement of Punjabi rap singer Sidhu Moosewala in the conspiracy.
This was one of the crucial aspects in the eagerly watched court trial of Middukhera, a close associate of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. Middukhera used to be a student leader in Panjab University, Chandigarh and had groomed several leaders, including Bishnoi and some other gangsters, in the last two decades.
Following Moosewala’s murder on May 29, 2022, about 10 months after Middukhera’s killing, Bishnoi along with other gangsters, including Goldy Brar and Sachin Thapan, had claimed that they killed the 29-year-old singer to avenge Middukhera’s killing. Even the then Punjab Police chief, DGP VK Bhawra, had claimed that Moosewala’s murder was the outcome of a gang war.
The singer’s family had objected to the police claim. They have been maintaining that Sidhu Moosewala was not involved in any gang activity. A copy of the court order made available today mentions Sidhu Moosewala’s name twice, but only in reference to fugitive accused Shaganpreet Singh and not as a co-conspirator. It says Shaganpreet had told the three shooters that he was assistant music director with Sidhu Moosewala. Shaganpreet had received the shooters near Sohana Gurdwara chowk and took them to a flat nearby.
The three shooters — Sajjan, alias Bholu, Anil Lath and Ajay, alias Lefty — were convicted of the Middukhera’s murder, while the court directed the Mohali police to expedite the proceedings to arrest Shaganpreet, who had fled the country.
The prosecution proved that Shaganpreet had given all logistic support to the shooters, provided them with the target’s photo, and showed them the sites of Middukhera’s house and office.
Additional Sessions Judge Baljinder Sra has, in the order, directed the Mohali SSP to complete the investigation in respect of the remaining accused — Shaganpreet Singh, Ravinder Chouhan, Saurav Thakur, also known as Gourav Patial, alias Lucky Patial, Sombir and Dharminder Singh, alias Gagni.
The order read, “Some of the accused are fugitives, requiring extradition, and others are at large. A complete justice cannot be done to the victim’s family without bringing all accused to book. Investigation has been pending against them. It should be expedited in right earnest as long time had already lapsed since the date of occurrence of the murder.”
In the order, the court stated, “A review of the record reveals that the case involves a meticulously executed and well-planned criminal conspiracy. The investigation revealed multiple layers of the conspiracy, with various individuals providing logistical support, firearms, and shelter. The alleged conspirators were based both in India and abroad. Some of them were lodged in various jails in the country.”
The order mentions that according to the prosecution, the communication methods employed by the accused lodged in the jails were novel, making detection and interception difficult. Communication with their counterparts outside the jail was facilitated through undertrials, who acted as intermediaries to pass on messages, which made it extremely challenging, if not impossible, for the investigating agency to trace the channels of communication used in orchestrating the conspiracy.”
While the court order mentions there was allegation against gangsters Kaushal Chaudhary, Bhupi Rana and Amit Dagar for sending a shooter each for the killing, the prosecution failed to prove evidence against them. The prosecution had alleged Bhupinder Singh, alias Bhupi Rana, had deployed Ajay, alias Sunny, alias Lefty, Kaushal Chaudhary deployed Sajjan, alias Bholu, and Amit Dagar deployed Anil Lath.
The police failed to question another key conspirator, Dharminder Gugni, as he was in Tihar Jail in a case by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which refused to send him to Punjab for questioning.
As per the police investigation, Bambiha gang had enmity with Vicky Middukhera. The gang leader, Lucky Patial, had threatened Middukhera over the phone from Armenia. However, deeper motive for the murder can only be known after the arrest and interrogation of all accused, police sources said.