Arshdeep Singh Gill, alias Arsh Dalla, who was reportedly detained by Canadian authorities on Sunday in connection with a shooting incident, had become the self-styled chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) after the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year, Indian officials said.
The Indian security establishment could not verify details with Canada on his detention a day after, signalling a lack of cooperation among investigative agencies of the two countries following a diplomatic breakdown.
The National Investigation Agency‘s dossier on Gill identifies his age as about 25 years. He was designated by the Union home ministry as an “individual terrorist” under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in 2023.
Gill is wanted by NIA in connection with four FIRs registered in 2021-22, while Punjab Police are probing nearly four dozen criminal cases linked to extortion and targeted killings allegedly involving him, according to counter-terror officials.
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According to NIA, Gill was a small-time gangster in Punjab before he fled to Canada in 2018 and joined hands with Nijjar to carry out targeted killings and extortion using his gangs in Punjab and elsewhere. As many as 46 FIRs have been registered against him in various states. His gang conspired to kidnap and kill people of other faiths to create a sense of fear and disaffection among different sections of society in Punjab, according to officials.
“Arshdeep lured youngsters to commit terror acts in return for arranging visas, splendid jobs and handsome earnings for them in Canada. The youth were motivated for threatening and extorting money from businessmen in Punjab and subsequently they were radicalised and motivated for carrying out terrorist acts of killing persons of other faiths,” said a senior official.
The details of targets, arranging weapons, sending terror funds through various channels and raising funds through extortion to strengthen the terror activities of KTF were handled by Gill, said officials. The probe had revealed that a major part of extorted money was channelized to him in Canada through hawala operators, according to the NIA.
KTF was floated by Jagtar Singh Tara of Babbar Khalsa International in 2011. Tara was involved in former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh’s assassination. After Tara’s arrest in 2015, Nijjar became chief of the organisation.
