In a major breakthrough in its campaign against gangsters, the Punjab Police was on Friday night all set to arrest wanted notorious gangster Sukhpreet Singh Dhaliwal @ Budda from Delhi airport, after successfully securing his deportation from Aremnia.Budda was scheduled to land around midnight at Delhi airport, and would be taken into custody by a waiting Punjab Police team, said DGP Dinkar Gupta.The self-styled Chief of the Davinder Bambiha gang, Budda was facing the law in more than 15 criminal cases of murder, attempt to murder, extortion, Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) etc. He had also recently come to notice for his contacts with pro-Khalistan elements. Budda was convicted in a murder case of 2011, but had jumped parole in 2016 and was declared a Proclaimed Offender. Responsible for various criminal, extortion and unlawful activities in Punjab, cases against Budda are also registered in various police stations of Haryana.Budda, s/o Major Singh r/o Kussa, Teh. Nihal Singh Wala, Dist. Moga, had fled the country in the wake of the crackdown launched by the Captain Amarinder Singh government against gangsters. The Punjab Police continued to zealously pursue him but narrowly missed nabbing him in UAE. Eventually, he was tracked down in Aremina, following which the Punjab Police got a Look Out Circular (LOC) and Red Corner Notice (RCN) issued from Interpol, according to Gupta.A precisely executed operation led to the apprehension of Budda by the Armenian Police on August 8, 2019. Soon thereafter, a few pro-Khalistan activists in Europe had posted an update on Facebook about Budda's arrest calling him ‘a strong voice for Khalistan in Punjab’. In fact, Budda had earlier claimed responsibility on his Facebook account for the elimination of Maninder Pal Bittu, an activist of Dera Sacha Sauda who was murdered inside Nabha Jail.
Subsequently, a special Punjab Police team under Harkamalpreet Singh Khakh, AIG Counter Intelligence, Jalandhar, and Bikram Brar, DSP OCCU was deputed for coordinating the deportation of the fugitive criminal.Giving details of Budda’s antecedents, the DGP said the gangster was actively involved in extortion business in Punjab, and had gained notoriety as one of the most feared and dreaded criminals of the state after the death of Vicky Gounder. He was the main kingpin of the attack on Punjabi Singer/Actor Parmish Verma in April-2018. He was also allegedly behind the threats on other famous Punjabi singe/actors (including leading Punjabi singer/actor Gippy Grewal) and businessmen on WhatsApp calls for extorting money from them. A well known Punjabi singer Karan Aujla was also attacked in Canada on the directions of Sukhpreet @ Budda.The case in which he was arrested and jumped parole related to the murder of one Jugraj Singh Rajja s/o Parminder Singh r/o Village Kussa on 20-03-2011. PO proceedings were also going on against Budda in a car snatching case of Tajpur Chownk Raikot. He was also named accused in a case of extortion and murder of rice mill owner Ravinder Kochhar in PS Jaito, Fardikot, said the DGP, giving details of some of the cases against Budda.Other cases against him included under Arms Act in Sirsa (Haryana), as well as Raikot (Ludhiana), Sirhind (Fatehgarh Sahib) and Shambu (Patiala). He was also booked under NDPS Act in the Patiala case.Budda had been declared PO, or PO proceedings were in progress against him, in many cases, said the DGP, adding that more disclosures were expected to come in after he is brought to Punjab and questioned further.