In a significant development, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a chargesheet against nine individuals, including three “listed Khalistani terrorists,” who are associated with the banned outfits Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF). The chargesheet sheds light on their involvement in a gangster-terrorist nexus and their subversive activities within the country.
The three “listed terrorists” have been identified as Harwinder Singh Sandhu, also known as Rinda, from BKI; Arshdeep Singh, known as Arsh Dala, from KTF; and Lakhbir Singh Sandhu, known as Landa, also associated with BKI. These individuals, who are based abroad, have allegedly established their own networks of operatives to carry out acts of subversion in India.
According to the NIA statement, these individuals had close ties with drug smugglers and Khalistani operatives based in Pakistan and other countries. The NIA has accused them of recruiting, motivating, and handling associates in India to carry out terrorist activities, extortion, and cross-border smuggling of weapons and drugs into the country.
The investigation has revealed a complex mechanism of fund-raising utilized by BKI and KTF, raising concerns about the financial support behind their nefarious activities. In addition to the nine accused, the NIA is also probing the links of 16 other absconding and arrested individuals associated with these terrorist outfits.
One of the listed terrorists, Rinda, reportedly fled to Pakistan illegally in 2018/19 and has been living there under the protection of the ISI. He has been involved in numerous terrorist activities, including the RPG attack on the Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters in May 2022, which led to him being declared an “individual terrorist” by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs in 2023.
Arsh Dala, on the other hand, started as a gangster and later moved to Canada, where he came into contact with Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the chief of KTF. He, too, was designated an “individual terrorist” in 2023.
Landa initially engaged in criminal and gang-related activities but later relocated to Canada, where he connected with Rinda and began working for BKI. He is the primary accused in several terror incidents, including the RPG attack on the Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters and the Sarhali police station in Tarn Taran in December 2022.
The NIA has also identified other foreign-based BKI nodes, including Harjot Singh in the US, Kashmir Singh Galwaddi (accused in the Nabha jailbreak case), and Tarsem Singh in Dubai. Gurjant Singh, another individual charged in the case, is residing in Australia.
Additionally, Deepak Ranga and Lucky Khokhar, also known as Denis, have been charged as they were recruited by foreign-based handlers to carry out terror activities in India. Ranga was allegedly used by Rinda and Landa to carry out the RPG attack in Mohali.
The investigation has revealed the magnitude of the gangster-terrorist nexus and the networks operating across borders to perpetrate violence and instability within the country. The NIA’s chargesheet represents a crucial step in unveiling the truth behind these heinous acts and holding the culprits accountable for their actions. The agency continues to work diligently to bring justice to those affected by these terrorist activities and disrupt any further attempts to undermine national security.
