In a significant stride forward in the terror-gangster-smuggler nexus probe, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Tuesday announced the capture of Vikramjeet Singh, alias Vikram Brar, a known confidant of notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. Brar’s arrest followed his deportation from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to India, a complex operation orchestrated by a specialised team from the NIA.
Brar is implicated in several significant criminal undertakings, including the much-publicised killing of celebrated Punjabi singer Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, also known as Sidhu Moosewala. He’s accused of participating in targeted assassinations and smuggling weapons, frequently in collusion with feared gangsters like Bishnoi, Goldy Brar, and others.
The elusive Brar, who has managed to avoid capture since 2020, was wanted for a string of 11 cases related to murder, attempted murder, and extortion. Authorities had issued 11 lookout notices in various Indian states.
Brar, stationed in the UAE, managed a ‘communications control room’ (CCR) for the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, orchestrating their operations from overseas. From there, he made extortion calls and facilitated communication between the gang’s leadership and its foot soldiers. The NIA Special Court in Delhi issued an open-dated Non-Bailable Warrant of Arrest (NBWA) and a lookout circular (LOC) against Brar. He also faces charges under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. NIA’s investigations revealed that Brar actively aided Goldy Brar in the execution of Moosewala’s murder from 2020 to 2022. Moreover, he played a key role in the gang’s operations, receiving extorted money sent by Bishnoi through illicit hawala channels. The NIA’s relentless efforts to break the terror-gangster-drug smuggler triangle have seen 16 individuals detained. The agency is resolute in its mission to expose the full breadth of the conspiracy and dismantle the criminal infrastructure supporting such activities. Recently, the NIA has had notable success securing the extradition or deportation of five absconders, thanks to their collaborations with intelligence agencies and persistent pursuit of cooperation from foreign counterparts. One of these significant cases was the extradition of Bikramjit Singh, mastermind of the Tarn Taran bomb blasts, from Austria.
