A chargesheet has been filed by the National Investigation Agency against three "individual terrorists" who are associated with banned Khalistani outfits Babbar Khalsa International and Khalistan Tiger Force as their involvement with the recruitment and handling of India-based terror operatives with their international connections were exposed.
The chargesheet was filed before a special court on Sunday that also names six other associates who were working for the two outfits along with the mention of their find raising mechanism for BKI and KTF, reported by PTI.
Reports said that the NIA is now investigating the case and looking for 16 others who are absconding and arrested accused associated with the two outfits.
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Who are these terrorists?
As reported by PTI, an NIA spokesperson said the three notorious gangsters-turned-terrorists and drug-smugglers -- Harwinder Singh Sandhu alias 'Rinda', Lakhbir Singh Sandhu alias 'Landa' of BKI and Arshdeep Singh alias 'Arsh Dala' of KTF -- are based outside the country and have created their own networks of operatives there to carry out terror activities in India.
The spokesperson told the media, "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, organized criminal syndicates and networks."
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Reportedly, Rinda is a crucial member of BKI and a khalistani operative and the spokesperson said, "In the year 2018-19, he fled to Pakistan illegally and is currently living there under the patronage of ISI, and is involved in the commission of terrorist activities against India." He added, "Rinda is 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 official said Rinda has been involved in many terrorist activities, including the RPG attack on the Punjab Police Intelligence headquarters in May 2022, and was declared an "individual terrorist" along with Dala and Landa by the centre, reportedly.
According to the reports, Moga resident Dala is an infamous gangster who left for Canada sometime back and came in contact with Hardeep Singh Nijjar who was the chief of proscribed terrorist organization KTF.
The spokesperson also mentioned that the duo engaged in the recruitment of youth and formation of terrorist gangs for carrying out extortion for raising funds for KTF and for carrying out the targeted killing of businessmen and leaders of particular communities in Punjab.
Further, the official informed the media that Landa was involved in criminal and gangster activities and left for Canada in 2017 when he came in contact with Rinda and joined BKI. With time he became the prime accused in terrorist incidents like the RPG attack on the Punjab Police Intelligence headquarters and the RPG attack on Sarhali Police station in Tarn Taran in December 2022.
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He was also the mastermind of the conspiracy to kill Punjab Police Sub Inspector Dilbagh Singh in August last year, the spokesperson told PTI.
According to the reports, the agency informed the media that other foreign-based charge sheeted operatives of BKI include Harjot Singh who is currently in the USA, Kashmir Singh Galwaddi, who is absconding in the Nabha Jailbreak case and suspected to be presently in Nepal, and Landa's brother Tarsem Singh, currently in Dubai.
The spokesperson also reportedly said that Gurjant Singh, who is hiding in Australia, is amongst the foreign-based nodes of KTF who have been charge sheeted, adding other accused charge sheeted are Deepak Ranga and Lucky Khokhar alias 'Denis', who were recruited by foreign-based handlers for carrying out terror activities in India.
