Moose Wala 'shooter' I held at Nepal border Criminals often consider the border region a safe haven

MOHAN PRASAD, SNS, KURSEONG. 10 SEPTEMBER 2022: Three persons, one of them identified as the sixth and last shooter, accused in the high profile murder case of Singer Subhdeep Singh Sidhu, popularly known as Sidhu Moose Wala, have been picked up by the Punjab Police front the lndo-Nepal border in West Bengal today.

Deepak Mundi was arrested with his two associates by the Punjab Police at Panitanki at the border near Siliguri in Darjeeling district. The Punjab Police conducted a joint operation with the Delhi Police and central agencies, Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav Tweeted. The two associates have been identified as Kapil Pandit and Rajinder.

According to Mr Yadav, Kapil Pandit,  Dipak Mundi was the shooter in the Bolero module, while Pandit and Rajinder provided logistical support, including weapons and hideouts.

Popular singer-turned politician Moose Wala was shot in Jawaharke village in Mansa district in Punjab on 29 May. He had joined the Congress party last year, before the Assembly elections in Punjab.

Asked about today's development, Darjeeling Police sources, however, said there was no involvement of the Darjeeling Police in the arrest, and that they do not have any information on the matter.

"We have learnt that the accused have been arrested front Nepal," a senior police officer in the district said.

According to observers, today's arrest has once again brought home the point that criminals have always considered this region, especially the international border areas, as a safe haven for them.

"This region has witnessed many other arrests in high profile cases the past too. Many persons accused in national and international crimes and illegal cases have been found hiding in the border areas in the region, which they consider is a safe haven," a source said today.

Notably, on 14 July 2004, NRI Maninder Pal Singh Kohli was arrested from Kalimpong. was accused in the rape and murder of British teenager Hannah Foster in Britain.

"No matter how clever the criminals are, the hands of the law will always get them, in any corner of the globe," the source added.