KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
After questioning a number of associates of Canada-based Khalistani terrorist Lakhbir Singh Sandhu alias Landa and Pakistan-based gangster-turned-terrorist Harvinder Singh Sandhu alias Rinda, Central Intelligence agencies have suggested that both the terrorists have stopped working together and that Rinda has started working with one Harpreet Singh alias Happy Passia, who is currently operating from the US. The new syndicate is now allegedly raising terror modules and carrying out terror actions in Punjab, officials said.
The information was recently discussed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) during a meeting with the police officials of Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi.
An official said both the terrorists were not working together now as their motives are different – Landa is more inclined towards supporting pro-Khalistani activities in India and Rinda is more involved in drug peddling and arms distribution in the country.
“In 2023, Happy Passia formed an association with Rinda to raise terror modules in Punjab. He illegally entered the US in 2021 with the help of an illegal human trafficking network,” the official said.
Sharing the action taken against the Rinda-Passia association, an official said around eight terror modules have been busted by the Punjab police from August 2023 to August 30. “Around 35 members of their group have been arrested and 546 individuals linked with the Rinda-Passia network have been verified,” the official said.
Landa, a former resident of Tarn Taran in Punjab, is believed to be living in Edmonton in Alberta in Canada and is wanted by security agencies in a case related to the Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) attack on the Punjab State Intelligence Headquarters in Mohali in 2022.
A cash reward of Rs 15 lakh was announced by the NIA on him. “He has also been involved in various criminal cases related to raising of terror modules, extortion, killings, planting IEDs, smuggling of weapons and narcotics and using funds or proceeds thereof for terrorist acts in the Punjab and other parts of the country,” an official said.
According to a gazette notification issued by the Centre, Rinda has been associated with terrorist organisation Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and is presently based in Lahore, Pakistan, under the patronage of cross border agencies and has been found involved in various terrorist activities, particularly in Punjab. Notably, Rinda is also said to be connected to the Sidhu Moosewala murder case of 2022. The Delhi police had registered a case naming two Punjab gangs in the murder. The murder case was later taken over by the NIA, which is probing the alleged nexus between Punjab gangs and terror networks.
“Landa fled to Canada in 2017. Before moving to Canada, he was involved in various cases including murder, attempt-to-murder, extortion, kidnapping, arms and drugs smuggling in Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Moga and Ferozepur of Punjab. Rinda was involved in a number of criminal cases between 2008 and 2019 in Punjab and other states of India. In 2019, he fled to Pakistan and joined BKI under the aegis of Wadhawa Singh Babbar, chief of the terrorist group backed by Pakistan spy agency, ISI. They started working together in 2022, and have been carrying out terror incidents in Punjab,” an official said.