Goldy Brar’s Nijjar killing 'claim' sparks gang war threats as Canada-based 'terrorist' Arsh Dalla vows revenge

The recording, which emerged on Sunday, reportedly captures Brar speaking with Sikh separatist Paramjit Singh Pamma.

In the conversation, Brar allegedly says Nijjar was targeted because of his purported involvement in drug trafficking and the alleged promotion of drug abuse among young people.

According to a report by the Times of India, intelligence sources have confirmed that the voice heard in the recording belongs to Satinderjeet Singh, alias Goldy Brar.

The claims in the recording have not been independently verified. India Blooms does not endorse the veracity of the audio.

Brar is heard alleging that Nijjar supported people involved in recruiting young people into drug-related activities.

“Those who groomed and incited 16-to-17-year-olds to sell drugs... those who blackmailed young people into selling drugs and becoming informants... Nijjar supported and strengthened these individuals so that he could use them when necessary,” Brar allegedly told Pamma.

“That’s why me and my team had to kill Nijjar, because these people were using young people to sell drugs. Good or bad, everyone has to face the consequences of their actions,” he allegedly added.

Brar links Nijjar killing to 'drug network'

In the purported conversation, Brar also alleges that Nijjar provided shelter to Arshdeep Singh Gill, alias Arsh Dalla, a rival gangster, and offered him weapons and financial support.

The alleged admission comes against the backdrop of an international crackdown on transnational criminal networks under Operation Hard Ball, involving agencies in the United States, Canada and Europe.

US prosecutors have charged Brar and jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi in connection with Nijjar’s killing.

Prosecutors have alleged that Bishnoi continued directing criminal activities from prison using smuggled mobile phones and internet-based communication devices.

A US indictment has described the Bishnoi network as a transnational criminal enterprise allegedly involved in murder, extortion, kidnapping, drug trafficking and other crimes.

The wider US-led crackdown has also targeted criminal networks linked to gangsters Jaggu Bhagwanpuria and Ravinder Singh Dhanda.

Authorities in the US, Canada and Europe have arrested 24 people as part of the operation, while 37 defendants have been charged through three indictments.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has announced a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to Brar’s arrest.

Gang rivalry emerges as another Nijjar murder angle

The latest alleged admission has also brought renewed attention to the possibility of gang rivalry as a motive in Nijjar’s killing.

Canadian investigators had previously examined possible connections between organised crime networks and the assassination.

Lisa Moreland, deputy commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, said Canadian investigators had found no evidence in the organised crime investigation connecting Indian government officials to Nijjar’s murder.

“There’s no evidence to suggest through this organised crime investigation and the charges and the indictment laid forward that Indian officials were charged or involved,” Moreland told CBS News.

Nijjar was shot dead on June 18, 2023, outside the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia.

His killing triggered a major diplomatic crisis between India and Canada after then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that there could be a link between Indian agents and the assassination.

India rejected the allegation.

In October 2024, Ottawa also accused India’s then high commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma and five other diplomats of having a role in the case.

New Delhi subsequently withdrew its diplomats after Canada sought their cooperation with the investigation.

Indian authorities identified Nijjar as the chief of the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) and had accused him of involvement in militant activities in India before he moved to Canada.

Brar 'claims' Sukha Duneke killing too

The leaked recording reportedly contains another claim by Brar, with the gangster allegedly taking responsibility for the killing of Sukhdool Singh, alias Sukha Duneke.

Duneke, who was reportedly associated with Arsh Dalla, was killed in Winnipeg in September 2023.

The alleged claim further highlights the longstanding rivalry between criminal networks associated with Brar and Dalla.

Brar has been wanted in India in several criminal cases and has also figured prominently in investigations into the killing of Punjabi singer-songwriter Sidhu Moosewala.

Arsh Dalla threatens revenge

Hours after the purported audio surfaced, Canada-based designated terrorist Arshdeep Singh Gill, alias Arsh Dalla, allegedly threatened revenge against Brar.

In a video of around 15 minutes shared through separate Punjabi-language social media platforms, Dalla reportedly accused gangster networks of offering patronage to Punjabi singers, including allegedly arranging free performances for Brar while gangsters took the resulting profits.

Dalla also rejected Brar’s claim regarding Nijjar’s killing and said he was not with Nijjar on the day he was murdered.

He claimed he had not met Nijjar for nearly a year before the assassination.

Nijjar’s killing outside the Surrey gurdwara in 2023 had already become a major point of contention between India and Canada.

Dalla denied allegations that Nijjar had provided him with money, shelter or weapons and rejected the implications arising from Brar’s claims.

Dalla accuses Brar of targeting his family

Dalla also accused Brar of operating at the behest of agencies and alleged that cases involving his parents were part of a plan orchestrated by Brar.

Brar had previously accused Dalla of implicating his parents in a false case.

Dalla questioned why no case was registered against his parents after the killing of Sidhu Moosewala on May 29, 2022.

He also claimed that he had not betrayed the Sikh community and alleged that his father was interrogated after every killing he had committed or planned.

According to Dalla, his father did not succumb to pressure or hand over those involved in the killings to police.

Dalla confirms link to Bathinda killing

Dalla also confirmed his alleged connection to the November 2020 killing of Manohar Lal, a follower of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect in Bathinda.

Lal was the father of a person accused in a 2020 sacrilege case.

Dalla’s network had previously claimed responsibility for Lal’s killing, describing it as retaliation for earlier sacrilege incidents.