Three more men were apprehended in connection with the killing of Punjabi social media influencer and makeup artist Mad Sandhu in Amritsar earlier this month. The trio were picked up by the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) and handed over to the Valsad police, officials said on Sunday.
Earlier, the Ahmedabad Crime Branch on Thursday arrested Parminder Kaka, alias Parminder Prasad, an alleged shooter in the October 3 killing of Sandhu. Parminder was allegedly associated with the Goldy Dhillon gang.
The three accused were identified as Harsimranjit Singh, alias Simu Singga, Fateh Singh, and Arman Singh. They were detained on Saturday from Vapi town in Valsad district, the ATS said in a release.
Punjab LGBTQ influencer and makeup artist Madhu Sudan, known as Mad Sandhu, was shot dead at Loharka Road at around 6:00 pm on Saturday, October 3. A case was registered at the Cantonment police station in Amritsar City.
A probe was launched after senior Punjab Police officials shared information about the accused with the Gujarat ATS. In the course of the investigation, the ATS found that three of the accused were in Vapi (in Gujarat's Valsad district). Their details were shared with the Valsad Special Operations Group (SOG), which detained them, the release said.
During interrogation, their alleged roles in the murder, including reconnaissance conducted before the crime, came to light, the ATS said.
A Punjab Police team arrived at the Gujarat ATS office on Saturday and took custody of all three accused for further legal proceedings, it added.
Sandhu was known for his presence on social media and work as a makeup artist. He used to speak about makeup artistry and gender issues on podcasts and digital platforms. The influencer and makeup artist has a following of 2.25 lakh on Instagram, where he posts makeup content, memes, vlogs, and social commentary. He also maintains a moderate presence on his YouTube channel, which contains longer vlogs and YouTube Shorts videos on makeup and fashion.
He had even faced criticism and backlash on social media over his content style and fashion choices.
A few months ago, a Nihang Sikh had objected to his social media content and his clothing, telling him that his videos would have a negative impact on youth.
