Prime witness identifies AK-47 used in Moose Wala’s murder

One of the two prime witnesses in singer-turned-politician Sidhu Moose Wala’s murder case on Friday identified in the Mansa trial court the AK-47 rifle that was allegedly used by the shooters in the crime. The two prime witnesses were travelling with the singer in his vehicle to Jawaharke village in Mansa, 10 km from the singer’s native village of Moosa, when the six shooters gunned him down on May 29, 2022.
Both Gurwinder Singh and Gurpreet Singh had also sustained bullet injuries. Gurwinder was shot in his right hand and Gurpreet suffered bullet wounds in the left arm, elbow and right thigh.
A team from the Gharinda police station in Amritsar brought the AK-47 and presented it in the Mansa court on Friday. On July 20, 2022, the Punjab Police shot dead Manpreet Singh, alias Mannu Kussa, and Jagroop Singh, alias Roopa, who were among the six shooters, after a five-hour gunfight at an abandoned building near the India-Pakistan border in Amritsar district.
The AK47 was recovered from them and since then it has been in the custody of the Amritsar police. The police have submitted the forensic lab report of the AK-47, confirming that it was the same weapon used to kill the singer.
The SUV (Mahindra Thar) in which Moose Wala was travelling on the day of the incident was also presented in the court as case property. The Mansa court recorded Gurpreet Singh’s remaining statement. Advocate Raghbir Singh Behniwal, defence counsel for the 19 accused including gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, cross-examined the eye-witness. Gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria’s counsel failed to appear following which the matter was adjourned until September 27 for further proceedings.
Advocate Satinderpal Singh Mittal, who is assisting the prosecution as counsel of Moose Wala’s father, said the witness identified the weapon and the vehicle in the court. “He told the court that gangster Mannu Kussa, who was killed in a police encounter, was using the weapon,” he said.
During the previous hearing, Gurpreet had identified the four shooters – Priyavart Fauji, Ankit Sersa, Deepak Mundi and Kashish alias Kuldeep. The SIT probing Moose Wala’s murder has filed five chargesheets, including four supplementary chargesheets, against 32 accused, including gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi, Canada-based Goldy Brar and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, claiming the murder was part of a series of revenge killings between the Bishnoi and Bambiha gangs.