Indian police have detained three men suspected of murdering hip-hop musician Sidhu Moose Wala, seizing a cache of weapons from the suspects, including a grenade launcher.

Last month, Moose Wala, known by his real name Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, was shot to death in his vehicle in the northern Indian state of Punjab.

The 28-year-old artist was famous in India and Punjabi communities abroad, particularly in Canada and the United Kingdom.

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H.S. Dhaliwal, the special police commissioner in Delhi, informed reporters on Monday that three suspects were apprehended in the western state of Gujarat over the weekend.

The suspects were found to own high-explosive grenades, a grenade launcher, an assault rifle, electric detonators, and pistols.

According to local media sources, Canada-based mobster Goldy Brar claimed responsibility for the assassination of the rapper and was in contact with the assassins the morning of the crime.

"Brar called one of the shooters on the day of the incident and instructed him to execute Moose Wala," a police officer said in the Hindustan Times.

"If guns don't work, kill him with an explosion," the cop told the newspaper.

Moose Wala rose to stardom with catchy songs that blasted rival rappers and politicians, depicting himself as a man who fought for the honor of his neighborhood, gave justice, and shot his adversaries.

His music videos, in which he frequently posed with weaponry, were attacked for their promotion of gun culture.

His assassination also drew attention to organized crime in Punjab, a significant drug trafficking corridor from Afghanistan and Pakistan into India.

Numerous analysts associate the narcotics trade, namely heroin, and opium, with an increase in gang-related violence and the usage of illegal firearms in the state.