KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
04-Sep-2023
Police on September 4 arrested two youths, identified as Pawan of Bir Talab and Gurwinder Singh and recovered 400 gm of heroin from their possession in Bir Talab village in Bathinda district. After arresting Pawan and seizing 400 grams of heroin from his possession, the police arrested Gurwinder Singh, a college student, based on Pawan’s disclosure.
04-Sep-2023
The Tarn Taran police on September 4 busted a drug and hawala racket by arresting six individuals identified as Lovejit Singh alias Lovepreet Singh, Sukhwinder Singh, Sukhmanjit Singh, Shashank Wadhwan, and his two brothers, Abhishek Wadhwan and Neeraj Wadhwan. Police also recovered a .315 bore pistol, 1.2 kilograms of heroin, and INR 1.14 crore in drug money from their possession. Lovejit, Sukhwinder, and Sukhmanjit were arrested in Amritsar, Punjab, while Shashank, Abhishek, and Neeraj were arrested in Madhya Pradesh (MP).
03-Sep-2023
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the chief of banned Khalistani terror outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) in a video released on September 3, has called for challenging India's sovereignty during the G20 Summit, urging Sikhs to support the Khalistan referendum and email G20 nations' representatives to repudiate India's territorial integrity. He also released an audio message urging Kashmiri Muslims to migrate to Delhi and disrupt the G-20 Summit. Earlier he had threatened to hoist the Khalistan flag at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport and has previously claimed responsibility for anti-India graffiti at metro stations in Delhi.
03-Sep-2023
Punjab Police on September 3 conducted a special cordon and search operation involving 150 police teams and approximately 1,200 personnel at suspected hideouts of persons linked with Khalistani terrorist Lakhbir Singh alias Landa, in 28 police districts in Punjab. Multiple individuals have been detained for additional scrutiny, and potentially incriminating evidence confiscated from their possession is currently under further examination. The operation included raids, detentions, and the seizure of incriminating materials. Additionally, police checked arms licenses, inquired about ammunition sources, gathered information on foreign-based family members, examined bank transactions from abroad, and assessed property details for further investigation.
03-Sep-2023
According to sources, Punjab Police are implementing a multipronged strategy to combat drug abuse, especially in border areas, with the goal of making Punjab a drug-free state in a year. They are increasing coordination with the Border Security Force (BSF) and forming village defence committees (VDC) to combat cross-border drug smuggling using drones. Additionally, efforts to raise awareness about the harmful effects of drugs and provide rehabilitation for drug abuse victims are underway, with plans for public cooperation, meetings, rallies, and seminars. The police are also investigating the supply chain of drug peddlers to disrupt the entire network.
02-Sep-2023
Four smugglers, Rajdeep Singh, Ram Singh, Jaspal Singh and Rajwinder Singh who were arrested on September 2 in connection with a cross-border drug smuggling operation involving drones, were sent to three-day police custody by the Duty Magistrate in Batala Gurdaspur district.
02-Sep-2023
The Punjab Police, on September 2, busted a drug cartel that was being operated from inside Faridkot jail in Punjab, by arresting seven persons and recovering 15 kilograms of heroin and INR 7 lakh in drug money from them. On September 1, the police arrested the delivery persons, identified as Gurpinder Singh alias Bhinda, Narinder Singh, Ranjodh Singh alias Jodha, and recovered 15 kilograms heroin from their possession, from near Haruwal village in Dera Baba Nanak Tehsil in Gurdaspur district. On the basis of information provided by Bhinda, the police arrested the four receivers on September 2, identified as Rajdeep Singh, Ram Singh, Jaspal Singh and Rajwinder Kaur and recovered INR 7 lakh drug money and two cars from their possession, near Town Hall in Amritsar city in Amritsar district. The mastermind, Jaspreet Singh alias Kali, currently in Faridkot Jail, was discovered to be coordinating a drug cartel with Pakistan-based smugglers via WhatsApp.
02-Sep-2023
Police on September 2 arrested two persons, including a woman, identified as Lovepreet Singh and Baljit Kaur under the charges of culpable homicide and drug smuggling after a 32-year-old man identified as Gurpreet Singh alias Gopi died of an alleged drug overdose, in Gagomahal village in Amritsar district.
02-Sep-2023
The Punjab police uncovered the active involvement of the drug smuggler Amrik Singh with the Pakistan spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Amrik Singh, who is serving a sentence for a drug-related offense, was found to have shared sensitive information about an Indian Army camp in Himachal Pradesh (HP) with ISI officials. This information included details about personnel, vehicles, and convoy movements. Amrik Singh had escaped from custody in October 2022 but was rearrested in November 2022. He now faces charges under the Official Secrets Act, and his relative working in the Army is also under investigation.
02-Sep-2023
According to reports, the Patiala police in Punjab are actively pursuing the seizure of properties belonging to drug smugglers involved in commercial drug activities, following directives from the Punjab Police leadership. They have already proposed seizing properties worth INR 5.67 crore, with seven properties valued at INR 2.1 crore already frozen in the district. The police are employing a multi-pronged strategy to apprehend drug smugglers and confiscate their ill-gotten assets under Section 68 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
02-Sep-2023
According to reports, Sangrur police in Punjab have frozen properties worth INR 1 crore belonging to three drug smugglers who were arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act for possessing drugs in commercial quantities. Over 100 panchayats in the district have passed resolutions against drug sales in their villages and are actively supporting the Punjab Government's anti-drug campaign.
01-Sep-2023
A video depicting a young girl involved in a drug-related transaction went viral on September 1, leading to the arrest of Gurjant Singh, the girl's brother, in Badshahpur village of Kapurthala district. The police recovered 10 grams of heroin from his possession, while the girl and her mother remain at large.
01-Sep-2023
The Border Security Force (BSF) and the Punjab Police, in a joint search operation, on September 1, recovered 2.7 kilograms of heroin from near the international border (IB) on the outskirts of Mehdipur village in Tarn Taran district. The heroin consignment was found in a white coloured sack with illuminating strips and hooks attached to it, indicative of a drone drop.
01-Sep-2023
A joint team of the Punjab Police and the Border Security Force (BSF) on September 1 recovered 2.43 kilograms of heroin from the residence of an individual, identified as Bittu Singh, in Tarn Taran in Tarn Taran district.
01-Sep-2023
Police, on September 1, arrested an alleged member of Lawrence Bishnoi-Goldy Brar gang, identified as Anjeet from Rohini in North West Delhi district of Delhi. Anjeet had a criminal history involving illegal drug supply and was also involved in extortion attempts and other criminal activities for the gang. He had been evading court proceedings in multiple cases.
31-Aug-2023
Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) of Punjab Police, in a joint operation with Mohali Police, on August 31 arrested six associates of Pakistan-based Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) terrorist Harwinder Singh alias Rinda, identified as Roshan Kumar, Saurab Kumar, Vikram Kumar, Amrinder Singh alias Billi, Arshveer Singh and Sunny, and recovered five pistols along with ammunition from their possession in Zirakpur in Sahibzada Ajit Singh (SAS) Nagar district. According to the Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav, the suspects were traveling in a Hyundai Verna car when they were arrested, and one of the accused, Arshveer Singh, was wanted for a double murder case in Patiala.
31-Aug-2023
Within hours of Delhi Police announcing the arrest of two operatives of banned Khalistani outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) on August 31, SFJ chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun issued a threat that its operatives would storm Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in New Delhi with Khalistan flags to avenge the arrests. He also declared a cash reward of INR 1 lakh for information about the families of Delhi Police officers in Canada, the United Kingdom (UK), Germany, Italy & Australia.
31-Aug-2023
The rural police in Punjab have arrested seven drug smugglers and frozen their properties, valued at INR 4.11 crore, under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act in the Amritsar district of Punjab. Five of the smugglers—Bara and Dalbir of Dhanoe Khurd village, Bikka of Kakkar village, Bhalwan of Dhanoe Kalan village, and Lali of Cheecha village—were arrested with 42 kg of heroin, while Navjot and Samme of Amritsar city were arrested with around 9 lakh intoxicating tablets. The frozen assets include residential houses, agricultural land, a commercial plot, two cars, a motorcycle, and cash. These smugglers had allegedly used drug money to acquire these properties, and the police plan to take similar action against other drug smugglers in the district. Dhanoe Kalan, Kakkar, and Cheecha villages are notorious for drug smuggling and have been hotspots for the recovery of Pakistani drones and heroin shipments by the Border Security Force (BSF) and Punjab Police.
31-Aug-2023
Delhi police on August 31 arrested two persons, identified as Preetpal Singh alias Kaka and Rajvinder Singh alias Kale, in Faridkot district and Bathinda district of Punjab, respectively, in connection with the defacement of metro stations in Delhi which took place on August 27. Preetpal had maintained social media contact with Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the chief of the banned Khalistani terror outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), for over a year. During this time, Pannun pledged to provide USD 7,000, of which Preetpal had already received USD 3,500. Both individuals were tracked based on CCTV footage near the metro station areas, and further investigation is currently underway.
30-Aug-2023
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) special court in Mohali on August 30 ordered the attachment of the property of an operative of Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF), Varinder Singh Chahal, in connection with a case related to the recovery of heroin and drug money in 2019. Chahal, who was part of an international narco-terror network, was involved in heroin trafficking and money collection on behalf of the KLF. The network operated globally, with links to drug smugglers, terrorists, and money launderers, including Jasmeet Singh Hakimzada, designated as a significant foreign narcotics trafficker by the United States (US) Department of Treasury.
30-Aug-2023
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) special court in Mohali on August 30 ordered the attachment of the property of an operative of Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF), Varinder Singh Chahal, in connection with a case related to the recovery of heroin and drug money in 2019. Chahal, who was part of an international narco-terror network, was involved in heroin trafficking and money collection on behalf of the KLF. The network operated globally, with links to drug smugglers, terrorists, and money launderers, including Jasmeet Singh Hakimzada, designated as a significant foreign narcotics trafficker by the United States (US) Department of Treasury.
30-Aug-2023
The Khanna Police on August 30 arrested a former Khalistan Commando Force (KCF) militant, identified as Gursewak Singh alias Babla for allegedly stealing two-wheelers within the jurisdictions of the Doraha and Payal police stations in Ludhiana district of Punjab. Babla has a history of 65 First Information Reports (FIRs), primarily from the 1983-84 Punjab militancy era. He became inactive in hardliner circles after a 2004 accident but was recently captured on CCTV engaging in petty thefts, primarily stealing and selling two-wheeler parts for survival.
30-Aug-2023
The Khanna Police on August 30 arrested a former Khalistan Commando Force (KCF) militant, identified as Gursewak Singh alias Babla for allegedly stealing two-wheelers within the jurisdictions of the Doraha and Payal police stations in Ludhiana district of Punjab. Babla has a history of 65 First Information Reports (FIRs), primarily from the 1983-84 Punjab militancy era. He became inactive in hardliner circles after a 2004 accident but was recently captured on CCTV engaging in petty thefts, primarily stealing and selling two-wheeler parts for survival.
30-Aug-2023
According to reports, multiple agencies are actively countering cyber threats to prevent the disruption of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi, particularly against potential attacks on the event's website and critical information infrastructure. Hackers supported by Pakistan and the banned Khalistani terror outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) are under surveillance for engaging in disinformation activities. These activities involve SFJ's attempts to send mass emails opposing the summit. To bolster cybersecurity measures such as monitoring the dark web and social media platforms have been implemented to safeguard against ransomware, phishing, and other forms of attacks.
30-Aug-2023
The Border Security Force (BSF) troops on August 30 recovered six packets heroin weighing 6.3 kilograms and one packet of opium weighing 70 grams, concealed in a 12-volt battery, near the international border (IB), near Dostpur village in Gurdaspur district.