Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Parmod Ban said the motive behind the killing of singer Sidhu Moosewala, as revealed by gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, was to avenge young Shiromani Akali Dal leader Vicky Middukhera’s murder.

Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Ban, the head of the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) which is investigating the Sidhu Moosewala murder case, said as per police investigation Moosewala’s involvement in the killing of Middukhera, who was a friend of Bishnoi, was not established. But the Bishnoi gang suspected the Punjabi singer’s hand in the SAD leader’s murder. “This is just an assumption or suspicion by the Lawrence gang,” he said.

He further said that during questioning,  gangster Lawrence Bishnoi confessed to hatching this conspiracy with Brar, Sachin Bishnoi (Thapan) and Lawrence’s younger brother Anmol. The ADGP said the Punjab Police is waiting for forensic analysis of weapons recovered from shooters by Delhi Police to ascertain if the same were used in Moosewala’s killing or not.

According to ADGP, the planning to kill Moosewala began in August last year. At least three recces were done prior to the murder. In January, another group of shooters had visited the Moosewala’s village in the Mansa district. “We are going full throttle after this gang. We have arrested 147 gangsters in total since the AGTF was formed. 37 modules of gangsters have been busted. More than 130 weapons of different make besides ammunition have been recovered,” the ADGP said.

Ban said the police have got details of the associates, weapons suppliers, financers and others helping this gang in various activities. The different district police have arrested 19 persons, who are linked with this gang, he added. The ADGP said Lawrence had sent his brother Anmol abroad in April this year for his safety in the follow-up of the murder which was in the planning stage. Sachin Bishnoi was already abroad. After the murder, Sachin gave an interview to a media channel, claiming he had shot at Moosewala. “This was aimed to mislead the police,” said Ban, adding that “the idea was that the police would search Sachin and others will escape easily.”

He said a deeper probe will be conducted to unearth the modus operandi and the role of the officials in this unholy nexus in which the persons with criminal backgrounds manage to procure passports on fake particulars from RPO Delhi and flee the country.