In Rudrapur, four individuals have been apprehended in connection to the assassination of Nanakmatta Gurdwara Kar Sewa chief Baba Tarsem Singh on March 28. The arrests were confirmed by Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Manjunath TC, who disclosed that the accused had engaged the services of the assassins and aided in their escape. Currently, the shooters remain at large, while the captured suspects include Dilbagh Singh, Amandeep Singh alias Kala, Harminder alias Pindi, and Balkar Singh.
Dilbagh Singh, known for his involvement in numerous serious offenses, is believed to have orchestrated the payment to the assassins. Amandeep Singh, hailing from Amariya in Pilibhit district of Uttar Pradesh and serving at the Gurudwara, allegedly informed the hitmen about Baba Tarsem Singh’s movements. The roles of the other two detainees, Harminder and Balkar Singh, have not been elaborated upon by the authorities.
The fatal incident transpired at around 6:15 am when two unidentified individuals on a motorcycle approached Nanakmatta town’s shrine. The pillion rider opened fire with a rifle, resulting in the tragic demise of Baba Tarsem Singh. Following the murder, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted, leading to the identification of the assailants as Sarbjeet Singh from Taran Taran and Amarjeet Singh alias Bittoo alias Ganda from Kammo in Amritsar, both residing in Punjab.Amarjeet Singh, identified as the pillion rider, allegedly fired the shots, as per police reports. The duo arrived in Nanakmatta on March 19 and lodged at the Nanakmatta Gurudwara Sarai. Providing his Aadhaar card and phone number during check-in, Sarbjit, along with Amarjeet, were described as seasoned criminals by the SSP. Based on Sarbjeet’s call logs, he was tracked in various locations including Rampur, Bazpur, Kichha, Bareilly, and Shahjahanpur from March 19 to March 27. Acquiring a mobile phone from the Tilhar area in Shahjahanpur, he used it to communicate with individuals like Dilbagh Singh, Balkar Singh, Satnam Singh, Pargat Singh, and Harwinder Singh from Kabirpur in Powayan, Shahjahanpur district. The police also revealed that the group conspired to eliminate Tarsem Singh in a bid to gain control over Dera Kar Sewa in Nanakmatta and other significant deras in the Terai region.
The SSP disclosed that Dilbag and his associates allegedly hired Sarbjeet and Amarjeet for ₹10 lakh to carry out the assassination of the Baba, providing an advance payment of ₹1.6 lakh. Subsequently, following the crime, the accused visited Dilbagh Singh’s residence, received the agreed-upon ₹5 lakh, and absconded with his support. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) is actively pursuing the shooters along with other individuals linked to the case, as stated by Manjunath.
