India
Arsh Dala has ties to Canadian gangster Goldy Brar. Recently, gangster Sukhdool Singh, a friend of Arsh Dala who was wanted in India, was killed in Canada’s Winnipeg city.
Updated : Sep 23, 2023, 12:38 PM IST | Edited by : Maitry Kothari
The ongoing debate over unproven claims that Indian operatives were involved in the murder of designated Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar has renewed attention on extremist activities in Canada. Arshdeep Singh, alias Arsh Dala, who left India in July 2020, was named in a dossier created by Indian intelligence agencies as one of the pro-Khalistani elements headquartered in Canada.
Who is Arshdeep Singh alias Arsh Dala?
Arshdeep Singh (27) is originally from the Dalla village in the Moga district of Punjab. He has been living in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada with his wife and a minor daughter.
He has been involved in several criminal activities and is associated with extremist groups, including the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) and the International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF). He is in possession of a passport that was issued by the Jalandhar Regional Passport Office on September 1, 2017, and is good until August 31, 2027.
Additionally, he has ties to Canadian gangster Goldy Brar. Recently, gangster Sukhdool Singh, a friend of Arsh Dala who was wanted in India, was killed in Canada’s Winnipeg city.
What are the cases against Arshdeep Singh?
He started to be active in 2020, mostly engaged in funding, raising terror modules, coordinating the supply of weapons from the other side of the border, and planning specific murders in Punjab. According to a report from HT, Dala has a more violent record than the assassinated KTF leader Nijjar.
Arsh Dala and Hardeep Singh Nijjar formed a three-person KTF module that was in charge of killing Tejinder, also known as Pinka, the proprietor of the Sunshine Clothes Store in Moga. He again collaborated with Nijaar in 2022 to establish a 4-member KTF module, tasked with carrying out grenade attacks.
Dala was also involved in the murder of Manohar Lal, a disciple of Dera Sacha Sauda. He also planned an attack on a Hindu priest. He partnered with gangsters Bikram Brar and Goldy Brar to form a 4-member KTF module tasked to deliver pistols and magazines.
He established a 7-member KTF module in 2022 which was targeted for Pritpal Singh Bobby, a Mohali-based immigration consultant. He was allegedly involved in the creation of a Pak-ISI-backed module to plan terror attacks ahead of Independence Day.