On 20th September (local time), one of the most wanted criminals by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Sukhdool Singh alias Sukha Duneke, was killed in a gang war in Canada. As per the India Today report, the Lawrence Bishnoi gang has taken responsibility for the murder of Sukha Duneke.
Duneke was an associate of Arsh Dalla, a Khalistani terrorist who recently took responsibility for killing Congress leader Baljinder Singh Balli in Moga.
Duneke was a member of the Bambiha gang that was named in controversial Congress leader Sidhu Moosewala’s murder. He escaped to Canada in 2017. He was operating his gang activities in India while sitting comfortably in Canada. Hailing from the south Malwa region, Duneke was a small time gangster who rose to headlines quickly. Along with gangsters like Goldy Brar and Arsh Dalla, he was into extortion and cross-border funding. Duneke was a known Khalistani sympathiser.
There was a time when Duneke was limited to local gang rivalries in Punjab. However, after escaping to Canada, he and his associate gangsters took control of a well-organised crime network. As per reports, they masterminded several crimes in Punjab and nearby states and provided “real-time” assistance to local gangsters using their vast network in Punjab. Dunnake was wanted in matters linked to terrorism, murder, attempt to murder, loot, extortion, and kidnapping.
Reportedly, Dunnake used social media and other digital platforms to stay connected to gang members in Punjab.
Duneke’s criminal history
Duneke was one of the key members of the Davinder Bambiha gang and operated mainly in Malwa districts. At one point in life, Dunnake was an employee at the Deputy Commissioner’s (DC) office in Moga. However, things took a different turn in his life, and he joined the world of crime. In 2017, Duneke escaped India with the help of two police officers who provided forged documents aiding his escape. At that time, seven pending cases against him rose to 20+ by the time he got killed. Duneke had spent some time in Faridkot jail before escaping to Canada.
Two police officials were booked in Punjab for aiding Duneke
In June 2022, ASI Prabhdyal Singh and head constable Gurwinder Singh were booked by Moga Police for helping Duneke in obtaining a fraudulent passport and police clearance certificate in 2017 that helped him escape to Canada. An FIR was registered under Sections 420, 467, 468 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Sections 10(3)(B) and 10(3)(E) of the Indian Passport Act against the two police officials.
As per reports, the police officials cleared Duneke’s name during passport verification in 2017 despite the fact that there were seven cases registered against him. Based on their clearance, a passport was issued to Duneke. He managed to get a Canadian Visa and fled to Canada. After escaping to Canada, he came in contact with Khalistani terrorist Arsh Dalla and started activities of extortion and arms smuggling.
Duneke’s name appeared in a conspiracy to kill Kabaddi player Sandeep Singh Nangal in March 2022 during a match at Mallian Village in Jalandhar.
Though Duneke was mainly involved in extortions and ‘supari’ killings, he was a known associate of Khalistani terrorist organizations too.
Khalistani terrorist Arsh Dalla
Arsh Dalla, who was declared an “individual terrorist” under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) by the Indian government in January, was facing six criminal cases in Punjab before he fled abroad. In 2017, an assistant sub-inspector fabricated a verification report for Dalla, which helped him obtain his passport and fly to Canada. After moving to Canada, Dalla became involved in terrorist activities and was also involved in cross-border smuggling of drugs and weapons on a large scale. According to the police, a total of 35 cases, including five murders, have been registered against him in Punjab since he fled abroad. Police say that Dalla is associated with the banned Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) and was running terror modules on behalf of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was also a designated terrorist. Dalla recently took responsibility for killing Congress leader Baljinder Singh Balli in Moga.
Hours after the murder, fugitive gangster and terrorist Arshdeep Singh Gill aka Arsh Dalla, who is also from Punjab and believed to be hiding in Canada, came to Facebook and claimed responsibility for the attack. Arsh Dalla accused Balli in a message posted on Facebook. He blamed Balli for introducing him to the world of crime and for ‘harassing his mother’.
Home Ministry called out the US and Canada for sheltering gangsters
In April this year, the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement that the United States and Canada house the most number of notorious gangsters wanted in India. Duneke was one of the gangsters named by the Home Ministry. A list of 28 gangsters was released by the Home Ministry a day after Minister of External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar had slammed Western countries for failing to provide security to Indian diplomatic missions and consulates. His statement came in reference to the Indian flag being pulled down by Khalistani elements in the Indian High Commission in London.
On September 20, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) shared a list of 43 wanted criminals and gangsters with terrorism links. Arsh Dalla and the now deceased Sukhdool alias Sukha Duneke both feature in the list. Arsh Dalla is at No. 15, while Sukha Duneke was No 33.
