Sangrur: Police have arrested six individuals 10 days after three masked men on a motorcycle allegedly opened fire at Punjabi singer Gulab Sidhu’s house at Pharwahi village in Barnala.
Sidhu, who has 1.7 million Instagram followers, was a close associate of the late singer Sidhu Moose Wala, who was killed in Mansa on May 29, 2022. When joint police teams attempted to apprehend them, the suspects opened fire. Both suffered leg injuries during the encounter: One sustained a bullet wound to the leg, while the other fractured his leg attempting to flee on a motorcycle. Gurwinder has prior criminal charges, including offences under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
He said the suspects include the primary shooters and accomplices who provided vehicles, assisted in the crime, and managed related social media activities. The DIG said the motive behind the shooting was extortion, adding that the accused are linked to overseas gang handlers and were planning another major crime.
Last year, Sidhu faced public backlash over a controversial song about sarpanches (village heads), for which he later issued an apology. Addressing a press conference in Barnala on Tuesday, deputy inspector general (DIG), Patiala range, Kuldeep Chahal said the arrests followed a coordinated operation by police teams of Barnala and Sangrur besides counter-intelligence personnel. Chahal said police arrested the two primary shooters—Gurwinder Singh and Gurpiar Singh—following a brief exchange of fire on the Barnala-Mansa road on Tuesday morning.
