Police wait for forensic report to confirm authenticity of video

Slug: Moosewala shooting case

Parvesh Sharma

Tribune News Service

Sangrur, July 2

Around two months after registration of an FIR under the Arms Act against Punjabi singer Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu Moosewala and eight others on the basis of a video, the Sangrur police have been waiting for a lab report to confirm the authenticity of the video and type of weapon used at Ladda Kothi shooting range.

“We have sent the video to a forensic lab to get its content verified as the FIR was registered on its basis. We also want to confirm the type of weapon used at Ladda Kothi shooting range,” said Sangrur Senior Superintendent of Police Dr Sandeep Garg, who has been heading Sangrur and Barnala Special Investigation Teams (SITs).

The police have claimed to recover a toy pistol from the accused while further investigations are going on.

On June 30, a local court had granted interim bail to Moosewala in the Arms Act case, which was registered at Dhuri Sadar police station on May 5. The court had fixed July 15 as the next date of hearing.

On May 30, the court had granted interim bail to Karam Sukhbir Singh. On May 27, the court had granted interim bail to constables Harwinder Singh and Jasveer Singh, Head Constables Gurjinder Singh and Gagandeep Singh and ASI Balkar Singh and shooting player Jungsher Singh and Inderveer Singh Grewal.

“In an FIR registered in Sangrur, all nine accused have got interim bail. We are probing the matter further,” said Garg.

On May 4, a video had surfaced online showing Moosewala firing at a shooting range in Badbar of Barnala district. The Dhanauala police on the directions of Director General of Police Dinkar Gupta had registered a case under Sections 188 of the IPC and Section 51 of the Disaster Management Act against Moosewala and eight others.

On May 5, another FIR was registered against all the accused under similar Sections at Dhuri (Sadar) police station after a new video showing Moosewala firing from his private pistol at Laddai Kothi shooting range surfaced. On May 17, the police had added Sections 25 and 30 of the Arms Act 1959 in both the FIRs.

In the case registered at Barnala, the court has dismissed bail applications of eight accused.