Sidhu Moosewala murder accused killed in encounter near Amritsar

In a major police crackdown on Wednesday, one gangster involved in the killing of famed Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala was reportedly shot dead by Punjab Police on the outskirts of Amritsar close to the India-Pakistan border, while another suspect is holed up inside a farmhouse after over four hours of exchange of fire.

Moosewala was gunned down on May 29 close to his native village near Mansa in Punjab.

The operation being carried out by the Anti-Gangster Task Force is going on at Bhakna village close to the Attari border, where gangsters Manpreet Singh, alias Mannu, and Jagroop Singh, alias Rupa, both the key accused in Moosewala's killing, were holed up.

However, there is no official confirmation yet about the identity of the slain gangster.

The police said that Manpreet, a henchman of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, along with Rupa, among others, had fired at Moosewala on May 29 which led to the singer's death on the spot.

Anti-Gangster Task Force chief Pramod Ban had told the media last month that jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, the main conspirator, had confessed that the plan to kill Moosewala was hatched in August last year to avenge the murder of Vicky Middukhera.

Ban said that 13 people have been arrested in the case so far after the first arrest was made on May 30, a day after the murder of Moosewala.

Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar, who is a member of the Bishnoi gang, had claimed responsibility for Moosewala's murder.

Ban had said that the shooters had reached Mansa on May 25, the scene of the crime close to Moosa village. "Some of the weapons were provided to them on reaching Punjab. AK series assault rifles were used to gun down Moosewala," he had said.

--IANS

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