NIA moves Faridkot court to take over probe in dera follower’s killing

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) today urged the Additional District and Sessions Judge to transfer the case record of a 2022 murder case from the Faridkot court to the NIA Special Court, Patiala House Court, Delhi.

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In the murder case, Pardeep Singh Kataria, a follower of the Dera Sacha Sauda, was killed in Kotkapura. Pardeep was an accused in the 2015 Bargari sacrilege case. Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar were nominated as accused.

The NIA has placed on record the orders of the Ministry of Home Affairs. In its order to the NIA, the MHA had written that after the killing of Pradeep on November 10, 2022, the probe by the Punjab Police had found that the assailants involved in the killing were from the Kala Jathedi gang. Jathedi is a close associate of Bishnoi and Brar.

A similar case against the accused is already pending in the NIA Special Court, The NIA has urged the court to direct the Punjab Police to hand over the original case exhibits, documents, material objects and all evidence and statements of the witnesses to the agency.