New Delhi:

India will follow up a November 10 request to Canada to extradite terrorist Arshdeep Gill, alias Arsh Dalla, the de facto chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

In a statement on X, the ministry said a court in Canada’s Ontario had listed its extradition request for hearing and that it had sent separate requests to verify financial details as provided last year.

The ministry labelled Dalla a “proclaimed offender” named in over 50 cases of murder, attempt to murder, extortion and terrorist acts, including terror financing. He was designated a ‘terrorist’ in January last year and is also an accused in multiple cases filed by the National Investigation Agency.

Delhi also believes Dalla has taken over the reins of the Khalistani terror outfit after Hardeep Nijjar was shot dead. The June 2023 killing of Nijjar – a Canadian citizen – has led to a diplomatic row with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declaring – without proof – that “agents” of India were involved in the murder.

Our response to media queries regarding the arrest of a designated terrorist in Canada:https://t.co/c6CasRuteb pic.twitter.com/XfH4S5UzUr

— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) November 14, 2024

Canada has refused earlier requests by India to hand over Dalla.

Dalla was arrested in Canada’s Halton last month after they were injured in an attack by unknown shooters. Dalla was injured and sought treatment at a local hospital that alerted the cops. The police searched their vehicle – a grey Dodge Durango – and found bullet marks on the SUV, and also found two bullet casings on the floor of the passenger’s seat, suggesting Dalla and Singh also fired back.

READ | Arshdeep Dalla, Hardeep Nijjar’s Aide, Detained In Canada: Sources

A day later, Dalla’s house was searched and a Taurus 9mm handgun, with a loaded magazine, was recovered, as also a rifle, a shotgun, and two high-capacity magazines in a gun safe.

READ | How Gunfight In Canada Led To Khalistani Terrorist Dalla’s Arrest

Dalla and the associate, Gurjant Singh, were arrested and await bail hearings.

Who Is Arsh Dalla?

Dalla is from Moga in Punjab.

A known aide of Nijjar, Dalla is credited with orchestrating multiple targeted killings through a grid of sleeper cell assassins. Among the more high-profile victims of his murderous network was Manohar Lal, a member of the Gurmeet Ram Rahim-led Dera Sacha Sauda in November 2020.

Experts believe Dalla’s sleeper cell network spans three continents – Canada and the United States in North America, parts of Europe, and Dubai, the Philippines and Thailand in Asia.

Sources have told NDTV his vast criminal operation may also be supported by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence, or ISI, as he is known to be involved in smuggling guns across the Pakistan border.

These are smuggled to Punjab via drone drops. There are also unconfirmed reports of terrorist acts in collaboration with another banned terrorist outfit, the Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Dalla-Bishnoi Rivalry

Dalla’s criminal network is believed to have a long-standing rivalry with that led by gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who, incredibly, runs his vast syndicate from a jail in Punjab.

The Bishnoi gang shot to focus after the 2022 murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala, and made headlines in April this year after a firing incident outside Bollywood star Salman Khan’s Mumbai home.

READ | “Bishnoi Gang Linked To Indian Government Agents”: Canada’s Claim

The gang also assassinated Maharashtra politician Baba Siddique last month, and was named by Canadian authorities in unsubstantiated allegations against India in connection with Nijjar’s killing.

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Halton Regional Police Service in Canada’s Ontario Province on November 5, 2024 said that it had arrested two men on charges of “discharging firearm with intent”. Photo: X/@HaltonPolice

Arshdeep Singh Gill alias Arsh Dalla, who was designated a terrorist by India, is likely to have been arrested in Canada’s Ontario Province following a shooting incident, sources claimed in New Delhi on Sunday (November 10, 2024).

The incident occurred on October 28, 2024 in Milton.

The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) on November 5, 2024 said that it had arrested two men on charges of “discharging firearm with intent” following an investigation after the duo had come to a hospital and one of them was treated for a non-life-threatening gunshot and later discharged.

It did not disclose their identity and said both accused “were held in custody pending a bail hearing”.

The sources claimed that one of those arrested is believed to be Arsh Dalla, who is associated with the banned Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) and ran terror modules on behalf of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a designated terrorist who was killed in June 2023.

“The HRPS was contacted by Guelph Police in the early morning hours of October 28, 2024, after two males attended a hospital in Guelph. One of the males was treated and released for a non-life-threatening gunshot wound apparently suffered in Halton region. The other was not injured.

“The HRPS Major Crime Bureau is now investigating and both males have been arrested. A 25-year-old male of Halton Hills and a 28-year-old male of Surrey BC have both been charged with Discharging Firearm with Intent,” a Halton police statement said, adding they were actively investigating the incident.

Earlier on Sunday, Punjab Police announced the arrest of two shooters of Arsh Dalla’s gang, who were allegedly involved in the murder of a Sikh activist last month, from Kharar in Mohali.

Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav said the arrest came in a joint operation of the state special operation cell, the Anti-gangster Task Force and Faridkot Police.

The two were identified as Anmolpreet Singh alias Vishal, a resident of Bhadorh in Barnala and Navjot Singh alias Neetu, a resident of Nijjar Road in Kharar.

Arsh Dalla, who has been accused of involvement in targeted killings, terror financing and extortion in Punjab, was in January last year designated a terrorist by the Indian government.

The Union Home Ministry had said in a notification that he was involved in the cross-border smuggling of drugs and weapons on a large scale.

He is an accused in various cases registered and investigated by the National Investigation Agency, including targeted killing, extorting money for terror funding, attempt to murder, disturbing communal harmony and creating terror among the people in Punjab.

The central government believes that Gill is involved in terrorism and hence designated as a terrorist under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 by exercising the powers conferred by clause (a) of sub-section (1) of section 35 of the Act, the notification had said.

A 45-year-old man has been shot dead in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior district by two aides of Canada-based gangster Arshdeep Singh Dalla.

The two accused, who were also involved in the murder case of a Sikh activist, Gurpreet Singh Hari Nau, in Punjab’s Faridkot last month, have been arrested.

The victim in the Gwalior shooting, identified as Jaswant Singh Gill, was undergoing life imprisonment in a 2016 murder case and was killed on Thursday. The murder was caught on CCTV.

The video first shows Gill talking to two persons outside his house. Then, two accused come on a motorcycle and one of them shoots him dead. The shooter kept firing until he was sure that Gill was dead.

They were arrested from Kharar in Punjab’s Mohali district.

In a major breakthrough, #SSOC Mohali in a joint operation with #AGTF, & @FaridkotPolice, has apprehended two key operatives of #Canada-based Arsh Dalla involved in the murder of Gurpreet Singh Hari Nau in #Faridkot

Investigations reveal that the accused also killed Jaswant… pic.twitter.com/Z1ZriDWEnF

— DGP Punjab Police (@DGPPunjabPolice) November 10, 2024

Police said that the investigations have revealed that they carried out the two murders at the behest of Arshdeep Singh Dalla, who is a designated terrorist.