MOHALI: Slain Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala‘s manager Shaganpreet Singh played a key role in the murder of Youth Akali Dal functionary Vikramjit Singh alias Vicky Middukhera in 2021, a local court said, directing the Mohali SSP to initiate extradition proceedings against Shaganpreet, who reportedly fled to Australia, and other fugitives accused in the case.
The directive by additional district and sessions judge Baljinder Singh Sra came on Monday while awarding life sentence to three sharpshooters – Sajjan Singh alias Bhola, Anil Kumar alias Latth and Ajay Kumar alias Lefty – for Middukhera’s murder.
It was Shaganpreet who arranged accommodation for the sharpshooters in Mohali, provided a car and brought them outside Middukhera’s house in Mohali Sector 71 to identify his Toyota SUV. He showed them Middukhera’s photo on a mobile phone, and also facilitated communication between one of the shooters, Anil Latth, and Lucky Patial, a key figure in the conspiracy who ordered Middukhera’s murder.
On Aug 7, 2021, the shooters, after waiting for Middukhera near his house and failing to find him, went to Baba Market in Sector 71, where they spotted his car. When he approached him, they opened fire. He attempted to flee, but was chased and shot multiple times. The shooters later escaped in a car, which they handed over to another accomplice, Ravinder.
The court, while sentencing the shooters, directed the investigating agency to complete the probe in respect to the remaining accused who are at large – Shaganpreet, Ravinder Chouhan, Lucky Patial, Sombir and Dharminder Singh alias Gugni.
Some of these accused are fugitives requiring extradition, and “complete justice cannot be done to the family of the victim without bringing all the accused to book”, the court said, directing Mohali SSP to apprehend the fugitives & initiate their extradition process.
A day after Middukhera’s murder, Shaganpreet went to Dubai to arrange Moose Wala’s concert, and returned four days later. He stayed in Mohali for three days before fleeing to Australia. Mohali police later intimated the Australian embassy about the criminal involvement of Shaganpreet, requesting to cancel his visa.