Arsh Dalla, designated terrorist in India carrying NIA's ₹10 lakh bounty, arrested in Canada | Who is he?

Arshdeep Singh Gill, also known as Arsh Dalla, a Khalistani terrorist, was recently arrested in Canada. A resident of Surrey, British Columbia, Arsh Dalla has over 50 murder cases against him, Gill is wanted by the Punjab Police and the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which has offered a bounty of Rs10 lakh, stated reports.

“Arsh Dalla is a proclaimed offender in over 50 cases of murder, attempt to murder, extortion and terrorist acts, including financing. In May 2022, a Red Corner Notice was issued against him. He was designated in India as an individual terrorist in 2023. In July 2023, the Indian government requested the Canadian government for his provisional arrest,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated on X.

Who is Arsh Dalla?

Reportedly, Arshdeep Singh Gill is known to have been a close aide of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was killed in June 2023. Dalla was a local gangster operating in Punjab. After moving to Canada, he took over as the chief of the Khalistani Tiger Force (KTF) following Nijjar's death.

A native of the Dala village in Punjab, Dalla shifted to Surrey in Canada in 2020, where he lived with his wife and a minor daughter. Reports indicate that Dalla’s passport was issued by a Punjab Police assistant sub-inspector (ASI) using a forged identification report.

While in Canada, Arsh Dalla expanded his terrorist network, which currently spans multiple countries, including the United States, Europe, and parts of the Middle East.

Arsh Dalla's criminal record

Arshdeep Singh Gill is wanted for multiple high-profile crimes, particularly targeting political figures including Manohar Lal, a member of Dera Sacha Sauda.

Dalla tapped social media to recruit youngsters from Punjab and Haryana to support his terror operations. Accused of orchestrating several violent crimes in India, Dalla was arrested by the Halton Regional Police Service in Ontario on October 27-28 following a shootout.

Arsh Dalla's ties to terrorist groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba, along with his involvement in drone-based arms trafficking from Pakistan into Punjab, have been a cause of concern for security agencies keen to check his expanding influence across international borders,  according to reports.