Punjabi singer to lose security over ''hawala'' payment to Dilpreet

Tribune News Service

Mohali, July 18 

Punjabi singer Parmish Verma will lose his security cover for paying “protection money” to gangster Dilpreet Singh Baba after the latter attacked him in April. 

  The singer, in the lead role for the Punjabi remake of Bollywood blockbuster “Singham”, had been provided at least four guards by the Mohali police after he was attacked by Dilpreet and his aides on the intervening night of April 13 and 14 while he was returning home after a performance. The singer was shot in the leg by assailants trailing his car.  The singer’s friend, Laadi, too was injured.

Kuldeep Singh Chahal, Mohali SSP, said during Dilpreet’s interrogation, it had come to light that Verma had paid Rs 20 lakh to Baba as protection money through “hawala”. 

He said Verma would be summoned and quizzed on the source of the money and the courier. “He should have informed the police about it.” Chahal said. 

Dilpreet and his gang members had reportedly made threat calls to other Punjabi actors and singers too, including Gippy Grewal. “We will investigate if the gangster had collected protection money from other actors/singers in Mohali,” he said. Dilpreet was interrogated on the Mohali CIA premises in Kharar on Wednesday.

The Punjab Police and Chandigarh Police had in a joint operation earlier this month (July 8) nabbed Dilpreet near the Chandigarh ISBT after an encounter. 

The gangster was wanted in more than 16 cases, including the killing of a sarpanch in Chandigarh’s Sector 38 last year.