How Arsh Dalla, a Punjab gangster, turned into Khalistani terrorist in Canada

Arshdeep Singh Gill, alias Arsh Dalla, a Khalistani terrorist wanted in India, has been arrested in Canada. India has again requested Canada to extradite Dalla, who took over as the chief of Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) after the murder of Harjit Singh Nijjar in 2023. Arsh Dalla was a local gangster in Punjab, who became a dreaded Khalistani terrorist operating from Canada. He killed people, including Congress leader Baljinder Singh Balli, in India through his terror network.
Dalla reportedly used social media to recruit youths in Punjab and Haryana to support his terror operations. Accused of orchestrating several violent crimes in India, Dalla was detained by the Halton Regional Police Service in Ontario on October 27-28, after a shoot-out.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a statement on Thursday, acknowledging his arrest in Canada and confirming it would follow up on India’s prior extradition request to ensure he faces trial in India.
Canada previously declined India’s request in July 2023 for Dalla’s provisional arrest, despite extensive documentation of his criminal activities and terror links provided by Indian agencies.
Indian intelligence and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) have accused Dalla of multiple crimes, including orchestrating targeted killings, extortion, and disturbing public peace in Punjab.
Since being declared an individual terrorist by India in 2023, he has been wanted for multiple high-profile crimes, particularly against political figures, like Balli and Manohar Lal, a member of Dera Sacha Sauda.
Arsh Dalla, originally from Dalla village in Punjab’s Moga district, began his life in crime as a local gangster before migrating to Canada in 2020.
Arshdeep was living in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, with his wife and a minor daughter. He holds a passport issued by the Regional Passport Office in Jalandhar on September 1, 2017, and valid until August 31, 2027, according to NIA.
In Canada, he was associated with Nijjar, then-leader of the KTF, which has been designated as a terrorist organisation by India since February 2023.
Upon Nijjar’s assassination on June 18, 2023, Dalla assumed the leadership of the KTF, which has a history of violence and is backed by Pakistan’s ISI.
The KTF, formed by Jagtar Singh Tara in 2011.
Tara, previously associated with the Babbar Khalsa International terrorist organisation, was involved in the 1995 assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh.
It was in Canada that Dalla, who was a local gangster in Punjab, grew into a terrorist with international network.
Dalla’s terrorist network spans multiple countries, including the United States, Europe, and regions in the Middle East.
His connections with terrorist groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and involvement in drone-based arms trafficking from Pakistan into Punjab have deepened concerns about his influence across international borders.
Dalla’s record includes a host of violent crimes, particularly targeting political figures in India.
In 2022, he and Nijjar were connected to the murder of Manohar Lal, a member of Dera Sacha Sauda.
In 2024, he claimed responsibility on social media for assassinating Congress leader Balli in Moga, Punjab.
Dalla’s vendetta against Balli, rooted in personal grievances, marked another example of his retaliatory violence against Indian public figures.
Dalla, listed as a wanted terrorist by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA), is also believed to have ordered the beheading of a Hindu youth in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri area, receiving a video of the act from his sleeper cell network in India.
Dalla’s violent activities extended into clashes with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, with which he has an ongoing feud.
In December 2023, as tensions escalated, the Bishnoi gang retaliated by assassinating Sukhdul Singh, alias Sukha Dunike, Dalla’s close associate, in Winnipeg, Canada.
The Bishnoi gang claimed responsibility for the murder of famous Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala and has recently issued threats against Bollywood actor Salman Khan.
The arrest of Arsh Dalla in Canada coincides with heightened diplomatic tension following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegation of the role of Indian government agents in the assassination of Nijjar.
This charge was denied by the Indian government, but the accusation has fuelled diplomatic strain, leading to the expulsion of Canadian diplomats from India and recalling of India’s High Commissioner Sanjay Verma from Canada.
Reports indicate that Arsh Dalla actively recruits young people from Punjab and Haryana via social media, luring them with promises of overseas relocation. Intelligence agencies report that he manipulates recruits into conducting terror activities in India, worsening regional security issues.
The reason why Dalla is among India’s most wanted terrorists is because of his long reach and extensive network. The local gangster has become a Khalistani terrorist and a security threat. Canada, which had earlier turned down Dalla’s extradition request, can correct its previous mistake now.