Moosewala murder: Gangster Sachin Bishnoi extradited to India, sent to 10-day police remand

New Delhi, Aug 1 (IANS) Sachin Bishnoi, aka Sachin Thappan, was extradited from Azerbaijan to India on Tuesday in connection with the Sidhu Moosewala murder case, said a Delhi Police official.

The extradition was carried out after a team from Delhi Police's Special Cell travelled to Azerbaijan to complete the necessary legal procedures. 

Bishnoi, who is the relative of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, is believed to be one of the main conspirators behind the murder of the Punjabi singer, in May of the previous year. Sachin hails from Fazilka in Punjab.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Court has remanded Bishnoi to 10 days of police custody for further questioning in several cases, including the murder of Subhdeep Singh Sidhu, also known as Moosewala.

Sources claim that Bishnoi was involved in the conspiracy and handling of logistics for the murder. 

He was abroad at the time of the killing but attempted to mislead investigators by claiming that he had shot Moosewala.

When he was in Dubai, he thought he could be extradited from there since India had good relations with the UAE, so he went to Baku, as sources claimed. 

Bishnoi was detained in Azerbaijan in August of last year and had applied for bail, which was rejected.

Special Commissioner of Police (Special Cell), HGS Dhaliwal, while talking to reporters, said that Sachin Bishnoi alias Sachin Thapan alias Tilak Raj Toteja, a dreaded fugitive criminal and nephew of international dreaded criminal Lawrence Bishnoi, has been brought back to India from Azerbaijan in an extensive multi-continental effort, possibly for the first time in the history of Delhi Police.

Sachin Bishnoi is wanted in five criminal cases, including Arms Act violations, murder, and attempted murder, related to the Lawrence Bishnoi crime group.

"Last year, on March 30, a case was registered against the Lawrence Bishnoi gang at the Mohan Garden police station, where the gang injured a real estate businessman and demanded Rs 1 crore from him," said Dhaliwal.

The Special Cell conducted raids and arrested all the criminals involved in the conspiracy, smugglers of the weapons used in the crime, and those who provided information about the victim.

"During the investigation, it was found that Sachin Bishnoi had marked the location before the crime and arranged logistics including weapons used in the incident. His involvement in the Sidhu Moosewala murder case was also discovered during the investigation of the case registered under MCOCA against the gang," said Dhaliwal. 

"The collective efforts of Delhi Police and Indian diplomatic representatives in Azerbaijan led to the apprehension of Sachin Bishnoi, considering his dangerous criminal associates who might have attempted to stop his deportation," said the Special CP. 

"Various intelligence agencies, the Ministries of Home and External Affairs, embassies, Interpol, CBI, Delhi-based officials, and high officials of Azerbaijan supported Delhi Police throughout this international effort," he added.