Goldy Brar not dead, US police confirms, debunks slaying in California

The Fresno Police Department in California has denied reports that a man killed in a homicide is Goldy Brar.

According to the Fresno Bee newspaper, the police on May 1 confirmed that the incident is not connected to the Canada-based gangster, who is a suspect in the killing of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala.

According to the police, the man killed in an alley at Fairmont and Holt avenues on May 1 was 37-year-old Xavier Gladney.

Police said that the department was receiving several calls from international media and that officers were working to debunk any connections between the slayings.

Lieutenant William J Dooley in a statement said, "If you are inquiring because of the online chatter claiming that the shooting victim is 'Goldy Brar', we can confirm that this is absolutely not true."

Debunking the reports as "misinformation," the lieutenant said, "We have received inquiries from around the world this morning as a result of misinformation being spread on social media and online news agencies. We are not sure who started this rumour, but it caught on and spread like wildfire. But again, it isn't true. The victim is definitely not Goldy."

Earlier, a court in Punjab's Mansa district on Wednesday framed charges against jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and 26 other accused in connection with the Sidhu Moosewala murder case.

Singer Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, who was popularly known as Sidhu Moosewala, was shot dead in Punjab's Mansa district on May 29, 2022.

The prime accused in the sensational case, Canada-based gangster Satinderjit Singh alias Goldy Brar, is yet to be arrested and charges have not been framed against him.

Moosewala was killed when he, along with his friend and cousin, was travelling in a jeep to Jawahar Ke village in Mansa. His vehicle was waylaid and bullets were sprayed on him by six shooters.

After the killing, Goldy Brar, who is a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, claimed responsibility for the murder.

According to the charge sheet filed by police, accused Brar was the mastermind behind the murder of Moosewala which was carried out to "avenge" the killing of Vicky Middukhera', a Youth Akali leader, in 2021.

Brar was designated a terrorist by the government under the anti-terror law UAPA in January this year.

He had coordinated with accused Lawrence Bishnoi, Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, Sachin Bhiwani, Anmol Bishnoi, Sachin Thapan, Monu Dagar, Pawan Bishnoi and the shooters and prepared the plan to kill Moosewala, according to the charge sheet.

Bishnoi, who was allegedly operating his gang from Tihar jail, was arrested by Punjab police in the murder case.

Also read | Sidhu Moosewala murder: Charges framed against Lawrence Bishnoi, 26 others