KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
26-Oct-2025
The Special Task Force (STF) of Haryana Police brought back Lakhwinder Kumar alias Lakhwinder Singh alias Lakha, a “known gangster” and close aide of Anmol Bishnoi, from the United States (US), officials said on October 26. Lakhwinder was deported on October 25, after months of coordination between Indian and US authorities — marking the first repatriation of a fugitive linked to a Haryana-based gang from the US. A resident of Titram village in Kaithal, Haryana, Lakhwinder had been operating from California since 2022, managing overseas operations of the Lawrence–Anmol Bishnoi gang and coordinating extortion and firing orders across Haryana and Punjab. His deportation followed a Look Out Circular (LOC) issued on December 7, 2023, and a Red Corner Notice (RCN) on December 26, 2024. Officials added that in 2025 so far, the STF has made over 220 gang-related arrests, leading to a sharp decline in extortion calls — 109 this year compared to 160 in 2024.
26-Oct-2025
Gangster Sunil Sardhania, the main accused in the firing on Haryanvi singer Rahul Fazilpuria and the murder of property dealer Rohit Shaukeen, was arrested by Haryana Police at Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, on October 26. He was taken into custody upon arrival after returning from Costa Rica, though sources claimed he was deported from Zurich, Switzerland. According to police, Sardhania and his associate Deepak Nandal had claimed responsibility for the July 14 firing at Fazilpuria’s vehicle in Sector 71 and the murder of Shaukeen near Palm Hills Society in Sector 77, Gurugram, Haryana.
26-Oct-2025
Police on October 26 arrested one person, identified as Kuldeep Singh and seized a Chinese hand grenade in Ludhiana district.
26-Oct-2025
Former Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) and former Chairman of the National Minorities Commission, Tarlochan Singh, has written a letter to United States (US) Ambassador-designate to India Sergio Gor, highlighting that Sikh truck drivers in the US are facing undue backlash following a recent accident in which a Sikh youth truck driver was involved. He urged Gor to ensure immediate intervention by the US Government to support Sikhs who are American citizens.
26-Oct-2025
On October 26, Punjab Police, on day 239 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, registered 57 first information reports (FIRs), arrested 66 drug smugglers and seized 1.1 kg of heroin, 1331 intoxicant tablets/capsules and INR 3200 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
26-Oct-2025
The Border Security Force (BSF) on October 26 seized a pistol with one magazine and two rounds from farmland near Bahadurke village in Ferozepur district.
25-Oct-2025
The Border Security Force (BSF) on October 25 neutralized a DJI Mavic 3 Classic drone and recovered it along with a pistol and a magazine that it was carrying from a field near Kahangarh village in Amritsar district.
25-Oct-2025
On October 25, the Border Security Force (BSF) seized a broken DJI Air 3S drone from an area near Daoke village in Amritsar district.
25-Oct-2025
Several Sikh bodies that had earlier opposed Giani Kuldip Singh Gargaj’s appointment as the officiating Jathedar of the Akal Takht symbolically accepted him as the temporal head by tying a ceremonial turban on him during a special event organized by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) at the Takht Kesgarh Sahib in Amritsar on October 25.
25-Oct-2025
A fugitive gangster of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, Lakhvinder Kumar, was arrested by the Haryana Police at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on October 25, after being deported from the United States (US). An Interpol Red Notice had been issued against Lakhvinder on October 26, 2024, at the request of the Haryana Police. His deportation was carried out by the US authorities in coordination with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). According to a CBI spokesperson, the Haryana Police had registered multiple cases against Lakhvinder Kumar, including those related to extortion, intimidation, illegal possession and use of firearms, and attempted murder.
25-Oct-2025
On October 25, Punjab Police, on day 238 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, registered 78 first information reports (FIRs), arrested 90 drug smugglers and seized 6.1 kg of heroin, 1.7 kg of opium, 696 intoxicant tablets/capsules and INR 29,490 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
25-Oct-2025
In a joint operation with the Punjab Police, the Border Security Force (BSF) on October 25 seized six packets of heroin weighing 3.248 kg from farmland near Jalloke village in Ferozepur district.
25-Oct-2025
The Border Security Force (BSF) on October 25 seized one packet of heroin weighing 1.080 kg from an area near Mullakot village in Amritsar sector of Amritsar district.
25-Oct-2025
On October 25, the Border Security Force (BSF) seized one packet of heroin weighing 570 grams from a field near Chaharpur village in Ajnala, Amritsar district.
25-Oct-2025
Punjab Police on October 25 arrested an operative of a terror network linked to the banned Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), identified as Manpreet Singh alias Tiddi, and seized two Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs)—each weighing around 2.5 kilograms and packed in metal containers with high-grade RDX and timers—along with a .30-bore pistol and ammunition from his possession in Amritsar district. According to the police, preliminary investigations indicate that Manpreet, who has a criminal background, was acting on the instructions of handlers based in Armenia, the United Kingdom (UK), and Germany, who, in turn, were taking directions from a Pakistan-based mastermind of a banned terrorist organization.
24-Oct-2025
The Border Security Force (BSF) on October 24 seized a DJI Mavic 3 Classic drone and 540 grams of heroin near Kahangarh village in Amritsar district.
24-Oct-2025
On October 24, Punjab Police, on day 237 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, registered 73 first information reports (FIRs), arrested 94 drug smugglers and seized 197 grams of heroin, 40 kg of poppy husk, 1,029 intoxicant tablets or capsules and INR 12,800 in drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
24-Oct-2025
Police on October 24 arrested four inter-state arms smugglers, identified as Danveer, Bunty, Sikander Sheikh, and Krishan Kumar and seized five illegal weapons along with live cartridges, INR 1.99 lakh in cash, and two vehicles near Airport Chowk in Mohali, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar district. Police said Danveer is a member of the Papla Gujjar gang, which operates across Haryana, Uttar Pradesh (UP), and other states. He allegedly procured arms from UP and Madhya Pradesh (MP) for supply in Punjab.
23-Oct-2025
According to official sources, the smuggling of rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs) from Pakistan into Punjab has raised serious security concerns, as these weapons are being used in targeted attacks on police and sensitive installations. In the latest case, Amritsar Rural Police arrested two suspects with an RPG launcher believed to have been smuggled from Pakistan via drones. Senior officials said such consignments are often pushed across the border through drones or concealed routes for use by sleeper cells operated by handlers in Pakistan.
23-Oct-2025
According to the Border Security Force (BSF), until October 23, it had recovered 213 drones, 325 kg of narcotics including heroin and ICE, 180 weapons, mostly pistols, 12 grenades, and 10 kg of high explosives in Punjab alone. The BSF also neutralized three cross-border intruders and apprehended 210 Indian nationals and 16 Pakistani nationals suspected of smuggling. BSF officials noted that these figures are in addition to seizures and arrests made by Punjab Police, which earlier this month recovered two AK-47 assault rifles.
23-Oct-2025
The Border Security Force (BSF) on October 23 seized a DJI Mavic 300 RTK drone near Chakallbaksh village in Amritsar district.
23-Oct-2025
The Border Security Force (BSF) on October 23 seized a DJI Mavic 3 Classic drone near Roranwala village along the Amritsar sector in Amritsar district.
23-Oct-2025
On October 23, Punjab Police, on day 236 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, registered 75 first information reports (FIRs), arrested 95 drug smugglers and seized 685 grams of heroin, 93 kg of poppy husk, 1245 intoxicant tablets/capsules and INR 14,760 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
23-Oct-2025
In a joint operation with the Hoshiarpur Police, the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) on October 23 arrested a father-son duo, identified as Krishan Gopal and his son Keshav, and seized a .32-calibre pistol along with live cartridges, after a brief encounter in Mehmudpur village of Hoshiarpur district. The accused, who were on motorcycles, had opened fire at Ganpati Jewellers in Hoshiarpur on October 18 and demanded INR 20 lakh in extortion.
22-Oct-2025
According to sources, the Delhi Government is expected to convene a meeting of the Sentence Review Board (SRB) later this week, during which several long-pending cases, including that of Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar, are likely to be taken up. Bhullar, convicted in the 1993 Delhi bomb blast that killed nine people and injured several others, has been in prison for over three decades. His death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment by the Supreme Court (SC) in 2014, citing an inordinate delay in the consideration of his mercy plea.