Sangrur: A fortnight after three masked men opened fire at Punjabi singer Gulab Sidhu’s residence in Pharwahi village, Barnala police have arrested Saudagar Singh, the father of late singer Sidhu Moosewala’s former associate Shaganpreet Singh.
Barnala superintendent of police Sanjeev Goyal confirmed the arrest on Saturday.
Baljit Singh, the CIA in-charge at Barnala, said both Shaganpreet Singh and Saudagar Singh have been named as accused in the case.
“While Shaganpreet is currently abroad, his father was arrested in Khanna on Friday. Further details will emerge as the investigation progresses,” Baljit Singh said.
Prior to Saudagar’s arrest, police apprehended six individuals, including two primary shooters Gurwinder Singh and Gurpiar Singh, following a brief exchange of fire on the Barnala-Mansa road. The four other accomplices were identified as Gurwinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh, Ramanpreet Singh, and Gaurav Sharma, all residents of Sangrur district.
Police recovered three pistols with magazines, 10 live cartridges, five spent shells, an Ertiga car, and two unregistered motorcycles from the six suspects.
Deputy inspector general, Patiala range, Kuldeep Singh Chahal said that the arrested individuals include the shooters and accomplices who provided vehicles, logistical assistance, and social media support. He confirmed that the shooting was driven by extortion, noting that the accused are linked to overseas gang handlers and were plotting another major crime.
The attack occurred between 1.30am and 2am on the night of September 12-13, when the three masked men fired six rounds at Sidhu’s house before fleeing. While Sidhu was away in Australia, his parents, wife, and children were inside the house.
Sidhu, who has 1.7 million Instagram followers, was a close associate of Sidhu Moosewala, who was killed in Mansa on May 29, 2022. Last year, Sidhu faced backlash and later apologised for a controversial song about sarpanches (village headmen).
Following the incident, an unverified audio clip attributed to gangster Doni Bal circulated on social media, claiming responsibility for the firing. In the clip, the speaker accused Sidhu of using Moosewala’s name while associating with individuals linked to his killers.
“He didn’t answer our phone calls, so we rang his doorbell to give him a reminder,” the recording claimed. Police have not yet verified the authenticity of the audio clip.
A case was initially registered under Sections 109 (attempt to murder), 61(2) (criminal conspiracy), 191(3) (rioting while armed with a deadly weapon), and 190 (unlawful assembly) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Section 25 of the Arms Act at the Barnala Sadar police station. Sections 308(5) (extortion) and 111 (organised crime) were added subsequently.