Moosewala murder case: Accused gangster Deepak Tinu flees from police custody

Chandigarh, Oct 02: Gangster Deepak Tinu, one of the accused in the Sidhu Moosewala murder case, escaped from police custody in Punjab's Mansa district, official sources said on Sunday.

A manhunt has been launched to nab Tinu, who escaped on Saturday night when he was brought on a production warrant from Goindwal Sahib jail in another case by the Mansa police, they said.

Police of neighbouring states, including Rajasthan and Haryana, have been alerted, the sources said. Tinu is a close aide of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, also an accused in the murder case of the Punjabi singer.

When asked about the incident, Patiala Range Inspector General Mukhwinder Singh Chhina, who is currently holding additional charge as Bathinda Range IG, told PTI over the phone, "We are working on it, police parties are on the job and we will catch him soon."

Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, popularly known as Sidhu Moosewala, was shot dead in Punjab's Mansa district on May 29. He was killed when he was on his way to Jawahar Ke village in Mansa in a jeep with his friend and cousin. His vehicle was waylaid and sprayed with bullets by six shooters.

After the killing, Goldy Brar, a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, claimed responsibility for the murder. Tinu is among 24 accused who have been charge-sheeted in the murder case.

In 2017, Tinu was freed from custody by one of his aides from Haryana who sprayed pepper spray in the eyes of a police official. The gangster was arrested from Bengaluru by the Bhiwani police in December that year.

Tinu faces several cases, including those of murder and extortion, in various states. Opposition parties slammed the Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab government over the incident. "Gangster Deepak who was caught in the Sidhu Moosewala murder case escaped from Mansa police custody last night.

This reflects poorly on @PunjabPoliceInd and AAP Govt. Meanwhile, an unconcerned CM @BhagwantMann is busy playing Garba in Gujarat," Pargat Singh, Congress MLA from Jalandhar Cantt., said in a tweet. Punjab BJP general secretary Subhash Sharma termed Tinu's escape "extremely worrying".

"Chief Minister and Home Minister are busy in political tours, Punjab is suffering," he said. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is on a visit to poll-bound Gujarat.