Gurpreet Singh, alias Goldy Dhillon, a foreign-based gangster who had threatened Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Neena Mittal and was named in the daylight murder of a pharmacy cashier in Chandigarh's Sector 11, has been detained in Spain, Punjab Police sources said on Saturday.
Joint Operation Leads to Detention
The detention was carried out through a joint operation involving Punjab Police, central intelligence agencies, and Chandigarh Police, who had been tracking Dhillon's movements abroad for several months, sources said.
Dhillon, also known as "Goldi Rajpura," is a close associate of Canada-based gangster Satinderjit Singh, alias Goldy Brar, who has been designated a terrorist by the Union Home Ministry. Police sources clarified that the two are not the same person, but Dhillon has been named a co-conspirator alongside Brar in an NIA chargesheet related to an extortion-cum-firing case targeting a Sector 5 businessman in Chandigarh, in which both remain absconding.
Details of the Sector 11 Murder
In the Sector 11 case, police said six men had travelled from Jammu to Punjab on Dhillon's instructions before splitting into two modules. One module allegedly shot dead pharmacy cashier Janki Das in broad daylight, while the second was directed to move into Chandigarh to receive a fresh target before being intercepted near Mullanpur with a foreign-made C47 pistol and a .32 bore pistol.
Dhillon has run multiple extortion and target killing modules across Punjab over the past year, sources said. In one instance, two operatives were tasked by him to carry out target killings in Mohali and Rajpura and were arrested with five pistols and a cache of intoxicant tablets.
Extortion Network and Recruitment
In another case, two youths recruited through social media allegedly opened fire on a house in Gaddo-Majra, Rajpura, injuring an elderly resident, after which Dhillon reportedly demanded ransom from the victim's US-based son. Investigators had traced his key recruiter, Mandeep Sarpanch, to Spain, from where the extortion network was said to be run.
Police sources said Dhillon had also sought to establish dominance over the illegal arms and narcotics trade in Punjab by eliminating rivals through intimidation and violence, using encrypted messaging applications such as Zangi and Signal to direct operatives while evading law enforcement.
Extradition Efforts Underway
Officials said Indian agencies were pursuing his deportation or extradition through diplomatic and legal channels, with formal confirmation from Spanish authorities still awaited.
