Key accused in Kapil Sharma restaurant shooting arrested

NEW DELHI

The Delhi police has arrested a key conspirator in the firings at comedian Kapil Sharma’s restaurant in Canada, an officer said on Friday. The arrest was made from Ludhiana, they added.

The accused, Bandhu Maan Singh Sekhon, an India and Canada-based handler for the Goldy Dhillon gang, was arrested from Punjab’s Ludhiana on Tuesday. A semi-automatic pistol and eight live cartridges were recovered from him, the officer said. Sekhon’s links with other overseas operatives are being verified and further investigation into the matter is under way, he added.

The restaurant has been targeted in multiple separate firing incidents – first on July 10, the second time on August 7, and the latest on October 15. The shootings were orchestrated by foreign-based gangsters as part of an intimidation and extortion bid, Deputy Commissioner of Police Sanjeev Kumar Yadav said. “No injuries were reported in any of the attacks, but the incidents caused significant damage and raised security concerns in Canada,” the DCP said.

“The accused had been providing logistical support, weapons and strategic assistance to shooters involved in the attacks on Kap’s Cafe,” he added.

The DCP said Sekhon fled from Canada on August 23 after several of his associates were arrested.

Sekhon is also wanted by the Delhi police’s Crime Branch in an international arms trafficking case.