The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday said India will comply with a November 10 request from Canada for the extradition of terrorist Arshdeep Gill alias Arsh Dalla, the de facto head of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force.
In a statement on X, the ministry said a court in Ontario, Canada, had listed his extradition request for hearing and that it had sent separate requests to verify the financial details he provided last year.
The ministry termed Dalla a “proclaimed offender” named in over 50 cases of terrorist acts, including murder, attempt to murder, extortion and terrorist financing. He was designated a ‘terrorist’ in January last year and is also an accused in several cases filed by the National Investigation Agency.
Delhi also believes that after the shooting death of Hardeep Nijjar, Dalla has taken command of the Khalistani terrorist organization. The murder of Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, in June 2023 has sparked a diplomatic controversy and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has declared without any evidence that “agents” of India were involved in the murder.
Our response to media inquiries regarding the arrest of a designated terrorist in Canada: pic.twitter.com/XfH4S5UzUr
– Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) 14 November 2024
Canada has rejected India’s earlier request to hand over Dalla.
Dalla was arrested last month after he was injured in an attack by unknown shooters in Halton, Canada. Dalla was injured and sought treatment at a local hospital, alerting the police. Police searched their vehicle – a gray Dodge Durango – and found bullet holes on the SUV, and also found two bullet casings on the passenger seat floor, indicating that Dalla and Singh also returned fire.
Read | Hardeep Nijjar’s aide Arshdeep Dalla detained in Canada: Sources
A day later, Dalla’s home was searched and a Taurus 9 mm handgun with a loaded magazine was recovered, as well as a rifle, a shotgun, and two high capacity magazines in the gun safe.
Read | How did the shooting in Canada lead to the arrest of Khalistani terrorist Dalla?
Dalla and the associate, Gurjant Singh, were arrested and are awaiting bail hearings.
Who is Arsh Dalla?
Dalla is a resident of Moga, Punjab.
A known associate of Nijjar, Dalla is credited with carrying out several targeted assassinations through a grid of sleeper cell assassins. Among the more high-profile victims of his murderous network was Manohar Lal, a member of Gurmeet Ram Rahim-led Dera Sacha Sauda in November 2020.
Experts believe Dallah’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 that his huge criminal operation may also be supported by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence, or ISI, as he is known to be involved in smuggling of guns across the Pakistan border.
These are smuggled into Punjab through drone drops. There are also unconfirmed reports of terrorist acts in collaboration with another banned terrorist organization, Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Dalla-Bishnoi rivalry
Dalla’s criminal network is believed to have a long-standing rivalry with the network led by gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who incredibly runs his massive syndicate from a Punjab jail.
The Bishnoi gang came into focus after the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala in 2022 and after the shooting incident outside Bollywood star Salman Khan’s Mumbai home in April this year.
Read | “Bishnoi gang linked to agents of Indian government”: Canada claims
The gang also killed Maharashtra politician Baba Siddiqui last month, and has been named by Canadian authorities in baseless allegations against India in connection with Nijjar’s murder.
NDTV is now available on WhatsApp channels. Click on the link to get all the latest updates from NDTV on your chat.
