Jalandhar: The Canadian police have confirmed that Sukhdool Singh Gill alias Sukha Duneke from Duneke village of Moga district was killed in Winnipeg. The information was confirmed by the Homicide Unit of Winnipeg, the capital of Manitoba in Canada.
Initially, there was no official confirmation of Gill’s killing. In a press release issued on September 21, the Homicide Unit Winnipeg confirmed the crime: “The Homicide Unit has now identified the victim as 39-year-old Sukhdool Singh Gill, and notifications to family members have been made. The investigation is ongoing.”
In a previous statement, the Winnipeg police said that on September 20, at around 10 am, the North District General Patrol Officers, assisted by members of the Tactical Support Team, went to a residence in the 200 block of Hazelton Drive, where they located the deceased adult victim. “No arrests have been made,” the statement read.
Gill’s killing comes in the wake of ongoing standoff between India and Canada over the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar and claims by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that India was behind the killing of Nijjar.
Who is Sukha Duneke?
Sukhdool Singh Gill alias Sukha Duneke was a resident of Duneke village of Moga district. Sukha’s name had figured in the National Investigation Agency’s wanted list, which was released on September 20.
Gill allegedly reached Canada on a fake passport in 2017. Before fleeing to Canada, he used to work as a peon in the deputy commissioner’s office in Moga. He had got this job on compassionate grounds after the death of his father.
Gill was allegedly associated with the Bambiha gang led by gangster Davinder Bambiha notorious for gang wars, extortion and killings in parts of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi.
He had over 16 cases registered against him in different police stations. His name had also figured in the killing of renowned international kabaddi player Sandeep Singh from Jalandhar in March 2022.
Talking to the media, SSP Moga J. Elanchezhian confirmed Gill’s killing and said that he was facing over 15/16 cases of extortion, attempt to murder and murder cases. “He was close to pro-Khalistani gangster Arshdeep Singh Dalla. We also contacted Sukha’s paternal uncle, who shared that his sister called up from Canada and informed them about his killing,” he said.
Gills’s family was a victim of militancy in Punjab. His father Naib Singh, who was a diesel tanker driver, was shot dead by militants in 1989 in Kotkapura situated in Faridkot district while he was returning home. Later, Gill got a job in the Moga deputy commissioner’s office on compassionate grounds, but he quit within three years.
After landing in Canada, Gill along with Arshdeep Singh Dalla alias Arsh Dalla, who too was a resident of Dalla village in Moga district, allegedly led a network of gangsters.
Dalla was declared a ‘listed terrorist’ under the UAPA in January this year. He was accused of various offences, including targeted killings, attempted murder and extortion for raising funds for terrorist activities.