Nijjar aide and designated terrorist Arsh Dalla arrested in Canada, his bail plea will be heard tomorrow

New Delhi: Canadian police have arrested Arshdeep Singh Gill, who Indian officers believe is being identified as terrorist Arsh Dalla who is being investigated in more than 70 criminal cases, for a shooting that took place in the city of Milton last month.

His bail application will be heard Thursday, according to Ontario court records.

Dalla, a close aide of slain Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar, is wanted by various investigating agencies such as National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Punjab Police in criminal cases ranging from terrorism to extortion against him.

Although security agency officials are aware of Dalla’s arrest, Canadian authorities have not yet sent any formal communications or confirmed the identity of the arrested suspect.

“We have information from our network of sources that Dalla has been arrested in Canada in connection with a shooting, but we have no official confirmation from Canadian authorities yet,” a source at the security agency told ThePrint.

In a response to ThePrint’s questionnaire on the identities of suspects arrested for the October 28 shooting in Milton, the Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) said: “We are unable to confirm the identities of the men who charged at this point in the investigation. , but I can tell you that it is still under investigation and we are still looking for suspects.”

Earlier on October 29, the HRPS had said it had charged two men – a 25-year-old from Halton Hills and a 28-year-old from Surrey British Columbia – with discharging firearms with intent.

Indian investigative agencies secured an Interpol Red Corner Notice against Dalla in 2022, which mandates information sharing with Indian authorities. Moreover, Arsh Dalla Dalla’s Indian extradition request is also pending with Canadian authorities.

Dalla is wanted by the NIA on charges of carrying out extortion rackets and recruiting youth for terror activities. Based on the findings of the investigation against Dalla and his associates, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) declared him an ‘individual terrorist’ in January last year.

Also read: NIA says Canada is yet to share Nijjar’s death certificate. ‘Shows pattern of cooperation in terror cases’

Nijjar’s close aide, seasoned blackmailer

According to an NIA complaint, Dalla started off as an extortionist before joining Nijjar’s KTF and started committing acts of terror to question India’s sovereignty.

Sources in the Punjab Police said the Moga resident is facing more than 50 cases of extortion in the state, while the NIA is investigating four cases against him and his associates.

Nijjar, in the company of Dalla and other gangsters, hatched a conspiracy to kidnap and kill people from other communities to create a sense of fear and discontent in Punjab, according to researchers.

Investigators are said to have discovered that Dalla and his associates used various tactics, such as arranging visas, quality jobs and high earnings, to lure more recruits to their modules and kill and incite fear among people of other faiths.

Dalla manages the supply of weapons from across the border through drones, which are then handed over to his aides and agents to carry out extortion and other anti-national activities, the NIA said.

In one of the latest charges filed in May, the NIA said Dalla was running a sleeper cell from Canada with the help of Indian agents. Dalla provided money to three aides – Harjeet Singh alias Harry Maur, Ravinder Singh alias Rajvinder Singh alias Harry Rajpura, and Rajeev Kumar alias Sheela – to carry out terrorist acts in Punjab and Delhi, it added.

The first two officers were arrested on November 23 last year, while Kumar was arrested in January.

Last week, the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF), State Special Operations Cell (SSOC) Mohali and Faridkot district police in a joint search operation arrested Dalla’s operatives for allegedly killing a Sikh activist in Faridkot district.

Faridkot Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Pragya Jain said Dalla supplied both the weapons and hideouts to the attackers who killed the activist at Hari Nau village in Faridkot.

These officers were also involved in the Zirakpur shooting and extortion incident on October 18, in which Dalla’s posters were put up at the main entrance of a businessman’s house. The businessman had received extortion calls.

On Tuesday, Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said a grenade attack on a petrol pump in Mansa district was launched towards Dalla. The owner had received an extortion call from a foreign mobile number. During interrogation, the attacker told the Punjab police that he had purchased a grenade on Dalla’s instructions.

(Edited by Tony Rai)

Also read: Baljeet Maur, deported from UAE, is ‘the logistics and extortion man of Arsh Dalla, member of Nijjar’s KTF’