Arsh Dalla: A gangster’s shadowy trail from Moga to Surrey

The deception came to airy successful May 2021, erstwhile the Punjab Police arrested 1 of Dalla’s pack members, who confessed to Lamme’s murder. By then, Dalla had returned to Canada, orchestrating a sprawling transgression syndicate from his basal successful Surrey.

Over time, his quality to exploit ineligible loopholes and fell down fake identities became his signature arsenic helium allegedly coordinated crimes crossed Moga and adjoining districts from the information of his Canadian hideout.

The 27-year-old Dalla, designated a violent by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) successful January 2023, has implicit 70 cases registered against him successful India. With Dalla reportedly being detained successful Canada connected October 29, the Indian authorities is each acceptable to question his extradition.

Police accidental his network, which allegedly included his begetter Charanjit Singh and member Baldeep, thrived connected extortion, arms smuggling, and targeted killings, with victims ranging from tiny traders to salient figures, some successful Punjab and Canada.

Dalla’s reported apprehension successful Canada came a time aft a grenade onslaught astatine a petrol pump successful Punjab’s Mansa territory — a uncommon and alarming escalation successful extortion tactics. It was the 2nd FIR against the 27-year-old Dalla that week and the 3rd successful October. An FIR filed connected October 23 accused him of making threatening calls to a atom sheller successful Faridkot. On October 9, helium was accused of carrying retired the execution of a Sikh activist, Gurpreet Singh Hari Nau, successful Faridkot district. Member of Parliament from Khadoor Sahib and Warris Punjab De caput Amritpal Singh, who is successful Dibrugarh jail, was besides named successful the lawsuit on with Dalla. But Dalla aboriginal released an audio clip successful which helium claimed work for the execution portion clarifying that Amritpal Singh was not involved.

His “arrest” successful Canada remains shrouded successful mystery. Canadian authorities person yet to corroborate his detention, but reports suggest his sanction has surfaced successful a lawsuit involving a shooting successful Ontario connected October 28.

A household of sarpanches

Born successful 1996 into a household of sarpanches — some his gramps and begetter held the station successful his ancestral Dalla colony adjacent Moga – Dalla and his younger member Baldeep went to the tony Sacred Heart School successful Moga, wherever they did their matriculation from the ICSE Board.

Villagers accidental a fiscal situation forced his father, who tilled onshore connected lease, to determination Dalla to the colony authorities school, wherever helium studied till Class 12.

His descent into transgression began soon after. He was 19 erstwhile the archetypal FIR was filed against him for snatching a firearm from a information defender successful Barnala successful 2015.

Despite this lawsuit and different of attempted murder, helium managed to get a passport from the Jalandhar Regional Passport Office successful 2017 pursuing a ‘paper marriage’ with a pistillate from Rajasthan and, successful 2018, near for Canada.

Investigations revealed that Dalla allegedly operated his syndicate from his basal successful Surrey, Canada, wherever helium lived with his woman and insignificant daughter.

As Dalla’s power grew, truthful did his family’s alleged involvement.

Charanjit was accused of exploiting his son’s notoriety for extortion successful Moga and adjacent areas. Baldeep Singh, meanwhile, operated arsenic a cardinal accomplice, reportedly handling extortion and transgression logistics.

“His begetter Charanjit and member Baldeep funnelled the wealth they extorted successful his sanction done ligament transfers. This helped him prolong his web successful India and Canada,” said Assistant Sub Inspector with Moga Police, Kiker Singh, who has investigated galore of the cases against Dalla.

Police accidental Baldeep’s cautious usage of disposable telephone numbers and encrypted communications allowed him to evade constabulary scrutiny for years.

InAugust 2021, Baldep was arrested astatine Delhi airdrome portion attempting to fly to Canada. However, helium got retired connected bail and, embarrassingly for the Punjab Police, managed to unafraid a forged passport and fly to Australia successful January 2023. An FIR revealed that Charanjit and 4 others allegedly assisted him successful obtaining the passport. Police sources accidental Baldeep is believed to beryllium successful Australia.

They accidental Baldeep, who lived lavishly portion successful Moga contempt being unemployed, maintained connection with Dalla done untraceable WhatsApp calls, complicating constabulary efforts to way him. Charanjit is astatine contiguous lodged successful the Faridkot jail.

Dalla’s world

Dalla allegedly orchestrated his syndicate of implicit 300 operatives who executed crimes connected his orders, including the execution of Moga businessman Jitendra alias Pinka successful 2020.

Police accidental Dalla got weapons, ranging from tiffin bombs to grenades, smuggled crossed the Indo-Pak borderline for usage by his web successful India. In January 2023, Punjab constabulary seized pistols, grenades, and unrecorded cartridges linked to Dalla’s network. Over 60 of his associates person been arrested, with astir weapons traced to Pakistan.

On January 7, Punjab Police’s Special Branch apprehended Gurpreet Singh alias Gopi and 2 others astatine a checkpoint adjacent Mehna colony successful Tarn Taran. The 3 were allegedly recovered with 2 pistols, 2 grenades and 12 unrecorded cartridges. Investigations linked them to Dalla, with the weapons reportedly originating from Pakistan. This apprehension shed airy connected Dalla’s expansive cross-border arms proviso network.

Dalla’s enmity with different designated terrorists underscores the infighting wrong Punjab’s gangster networks.

Dalla is astatine daggers drawn with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, which allegedly assassinated his adjacent adjutant Sukhdul Singh, alias Sukha Dunike, successful Winnipeg, Canada successful December 2023.

Dalla accused Landa of betrayal, claiming that Landa initially relied connected him for weapons but aboriginal turned against him. Dalla besides targeted the precocious Harvinder Rinda, alleging that Rinda sided with his enemies and facilitated the proviso of weapons utilized successful the Sidhu Moosewala murder.

Dalla’s transgression activities took connected a communal space successful December 2020 erstwhile a station connected Sukha Gill Lamme’s Facebook relationship — past being operated by Dalla — claimed work for the execution of Manohar Lal, a Dera Sacha Sauda follower, arsenic “revenge” for the 2015 sacrilege incidents. The sidesplitting was seen arsenic an effort to garner sympathy from the Sikh community. Investigative agencies linked this execution to pro-Khalistan groups, further deepening Dalla’s ties to extremist networks.

In July 2022, the NIA filed a chargesheet implicating Dalla and Hardeep Singh Nijjar successful a conspiracy to termination Hindu clergyman Kamaldeep Sharma successful Jalandhar. The onslaught was allegedly portion of a broader program to disrupt communal harmony successful Punjab.

Dalla’s sanction surfaced successful different lawsuit successful January 2023 erstwhile Delhi Police arrested 2 operatives linked to the Lashkar-e-Toiba for a execution intended to instill fearfulness and communal discord. Later that year, the NIA declared Dalla a violent nether the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and arsenic a cardinal operative of the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF). A Red Corner Notice was issued against him by the Ministry of Home Affairs.