Gangster-terrorist nexus case: NIA charge sheets 3 listed Khalistani terrorists, 6 others

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 23

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday said it has filed a chargesheet against nine, including three ‘listed Khalistani terrorists’ associated with banned outfits Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) in the gangsters-terrorists nexus case.

The three ‘listed terrorists’ are Harwinder Singh Sandhu alias Rinda of BKI, Arshdeep Singh alias Arsh Dala of KTF and Lakhbir Singh Sandhu alias Landa of BKI, (all based abroad), for allegedly creating their own networks of operatives to indulge in subversive activities in the country.

The NIA in an official statement also alleged that the accused have close contacts with drug smugglers and Khalistani operatives in Pakistan and other countries.

“Through this complex network of operatives based abroad, they have been recruiting, motivating and handling their associates in India to carry out terrorist activities, extortion and cross-border smuggling of weapons and drugs into India. They also have linkages with major gangs operating in North India, including local gangsters, organised criminal syndicates and networks,” the NIA said in the statement.

The NIA said in the investigation the agency found a complex mechanism of fund raising for the BKI and KTF.

“The funds were being routed to India-based associates through both, informal channels as well as formal channels with layering and fund provisioning,” it said, adding that “MTSS (Money Transfer Service Scheme) or other means” were being used in a way that the identity of the real sender or receiver of funds was completely masked.

NIA is also investigating the links of 16 other absconding and arrested accused associated with the BKI and KTF, it said.

“A former gangster, Harwinder Singh Sandhu alias Rinda is now a key BKI member and Khalistani operative. In the year 2018/19, he fled to Pakistan illegally and is currently living there under the patronage of ISI, and is involved in commission of terrorist activities against India,” the NIA said, alleging that he has been involved in various offences like “smuggling of arms, ammunition explosives and drugs into Indian territory from Pakistan, recruitment of BKI operatives, murders, raising funds for BKI through extortion in the states of Punjab and Maharashtra”.

The NIA in the chargesheet said that Rinda has been involved in many terrorist activities, including the RPG attack on Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters in May 2022, and was declared as an ‘individual terrorist’ in 2023 by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

“Accused Arshdeep Singh alias Arsh Dala, was an infamous gangster in India, who left for Canada. In Canada, Dala came in contact with Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was the chief of proscribed terrorist organisation KTF,” the NIA said.

The duo engaged in recruitment of youth and formation of terrorist gangs to carry out extortion for raising funds for KTF and for carrying out targeted killing of businessmen and leaders of particular communities in Punjab. Dala has been declared an 'individual terrorist' in 2023 by the Government of India.

Lakhbir Singh Sandhu alias Landa, was initially involved in criminal and gangster related activities. In 2017, he left for Canada and continued his activities from there. He came in contact with BKI terrorist Harwinder Singh Sandhu alias Rinda and started working for the latter and BKI.

Landa has been main accused in a number of terrorist incidents, including RPG attack on Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters in May 2022 and RPG attack on Sarhali Police station in Tarn Taran in December, 2022. He was also the mastermind of the conspiracy to kill Punjab Police S-I Dilbagh Singh in August, 2022.

Other foreign based BKI nodes chargesheeted by the NIA are Harjot Singh, based in the US; Kashmir Singh Galwaddi, an absconding accused of Nabha Jailbreak case and suspected to be presently in Nepal; and Tarsem Singh, brother of Landa, currently living in Dubai.

Gurjant Singh is presently living in Australia and is one among the foreign based nodes of KTF, who has been charge-sheeted.

Other accused chargesheeted by NIA are Deepak Ranga and Lucky Khokhar alias Denis, who were recruited by foreign based handlers for carrying out terror activities in India.

Ranga was handled by Rinda and Landa for carrying out the RPG attack on Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters, Mohali, in May 2022.

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