Amritsar: Police on Sunday dismissed social media posts claiming gangster involvement in the murder of LGBTQ influencer and makeup artist Mad Sandhu as unauthentic, stating that investigations are progressing across multiple angles.Sandhu, 29, was shot dead around 6 pm on Saturday outside a car washing centre on Loharka Road, Amritsar, by two unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants. He died on way to a private hospital. Police recovered two empty bullet shells from the scene.The reaction follows social media posts attributed to foreign-based gangsters Goldy Dhillon and Lucky Johal Spain claiming responsibility for the killing. One of the posts accused Sandhu of “spoiling the younger generation” and issued threats against another influencer.“These so-called posts are unauthentic and uploaded by foreign-based persons,“ said Amritsar police commissioner Harmanbir Singh Gill. “We are progressing towards solving the case,” he added.Sandhu, the son of a retired Punjab Police sub-inspector, had built a substantial online following for his fashion, makeup and gender acceptance content. He had previously faced online trolling and objections from religious groups, including a previous controversy involving a nihang group, over his attire. Police said no link has been established between past controversies and the murder.Sources said Sandhu had recently acted in a Punjabi film and was slated to appear as a contestant on a reality show.Special police teams have been formed to trace the assailants and establish the motive.Sandhu’s cremation was performed on Sunday after police handed over his body to the family following post-mortem examination.
