Wanted terrorist Rinda dies of drug overdose in Pakistan hospital

Tribune News Service

Jupinderjit Singh

Chandigarh, November 19

One of India’s most-wanted terrorists Harvinder Singh Sandhu alias Rinda died due to an alleged drug overdose in a Military Hospital, in Lahore on Saturday.

Police and security agencies, both at the state and central levels, have confirmed his death. Rinda carried a reward of Rs 10 lakh by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for any information about him.

Rinda, who was listed A+ gangster, drugs smuggler and arms supplier, was operating from Pakistan for the last few years.

Rinda was the bridge between terrorists and gangsters besides narcotic smugglers. He was the main weapon supplier to gangsters and had a working relationship with almost all gangs in the state.

He was the alleged mastermind in the RPG attack on Punjab Police Intelligence headquarters at Mohali in May this year. Rinda, originally from Nanded, Maharashtra had taken over the reins of terrorist outfits in Pakistan after the killing of Harpreet Singh alias Happy PhD who was also killed in Pakistan.

Sources claim Rinda had developed differences with Wadhawa Singh group in Pakistan. He was reportedly admitted to a hospital in Lahore on November 14 and later shifted to Military hospital after his condition deteriorated.

As per his crime profile, Rinda was about 35 years old and had migrated to Nanded from Sarhali village, Tarn Taran district, many years ago. He was also involved and wanted in many cases by the police forces of Maharashtra, Chandigarh, Haryana, West Bengal, etc., besides large-scale cross-border smuggling of drugs/weapons. NIA has classified him as a major threat to the national security.

His first crime was reported in 2008 when he murdered one Partap Singh due to personal enmity in Tarn Taran. He was convicted of life imprisonment in the case and was incarcerated in different jails of Punjab. In 2013, he attacked Jail staff in Sangrur and later an Assistant Superintendent of Patiala jail. In October, 2014 he was released on bail from Nabha jail.

In 2016, Surinder alias Satta brother of Rinda was murdered by Dilbagh Singh, etc., due to personal enmity in Maharashatra’s Nanded. In the same year in order to avenge the murder of his brother he first abducted Dilbagh Singh from Shri Hargobindpur and killed him and threw his body in river and in second revenge killing he murdered one Bachiter Singh in Nanded and later murdered Manpreet alias Mannu in Maharashatra’s Wazirabad.

He along with his gang committed murders, dacoities and extortions. He was wanted in at least 30 known criminal cases. His crimes include around 10 cases of murder, 6 cases of attempted murder, 7 cases of dacoities/snatchings besides abductions, extortions, Arms Act and NDPS Act cases.

It is suspected that he had acquired an Indian passport on a fake identity by changing his physical appearance and was suspected to be in Indonesia before finding shelter in Pakistan.

In other cases, Rinda opened fire at rival student union leaders in Panjab University, Chandigarh, in January 2017. With gangster Dilpreet Singh alias Baba he murdered Des Raj Pehlwan in April 2017 in Ropar.

Later, Rinda along with his associates killed Satnam Singh Sarpanch Gardiwala, Hoshiarpur, in Sector 38, Chandigarh in a sensational broad daylight incident.

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