Khalistani militant and one of the most wanted criminals in the country, Arshdeep Singh alias Arsh Dalla, has been arrested by the Canadian Police on Monday. According to credible sources here, he was arrested after suspected involvement in shootout at Milton town in Canada on either 27 or 28 October.
Information has been received from Indian security agencies about his arrest and the Canadian authorities, particularly, are verifying it, doing inquiries with the HRPS as well. Dalla is an Indian national who is living in Canada with his wife and has several criminal cases registered against him in India.
Dalla is one of the ex-leaders of the Khalistani Tiger Force and likely heir of the slain terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. He, in September, accepted the responsibility for the murder of Congress leader Baljinder Singh Balli, killed at his Moga residence. In a post, Dalla said Balli had broken his life and led to his mother’s detention, which turned on the killing instinct.
Dalla is wanted list on the National Investigation Agency, and he had been accused of planning criminal activities in Punjab from Canada over the past few years. He coordinated many targeted killings in Punjab and coordinated with local gangs, it is reported. Earlier, Punjab Police had busted modules connected with Dalla; the police had seized IEDs, grenades, and other arms and ammunition.
Dalla’s arrest happened when tensions were running high over the alleged attack on a Hindu temple in Canada by Khalistani terrorists. The Indian government called for prosecution of the perpetrators of the attack on November 3 on the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton following the attack.
Relations between India and Canada have remained strained since Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged in September 2023 that India was behind the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a claim that India flatly rejected.