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NIA extradites most wanted Pro-Khalistan Element, Tarsem Singh from Abu Dhabi
In a major breakthrough, the National
Investigation Agency (NIA) has extradited the
most wanted Pro-Khalistan
Element (PKE), Tarsem Singh from Abu Dhabi. The suspect was brought to India on Friday morning and
was arrested by the NIA on charges under the
Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Singh is brother of Lakhbir Singh
Sandhu alias Landa, who hails
from Tarn Taran, Punjab, and is presently believed to be operating from Canada. The suspect is associated with Babbar Khalsa
International (BKI), officials said.
According to NIA, Tarsem has been involved in conspiracy to carry out an RPG
attack on Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters in May 2022 and RPG attack on
Sarhali Police station in Tarn Taran in December, 2022. He has been named by
NIA in multiple chargesheet for allegedly having close contacts with drug smugglers, Khalistani
operatives in Pakistan and other countries.”Through the 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,” according to the NIA.
The PKEs based abroad have linkages with major gangs operating in North India,
including local gangsters, organized criminal syndicates and networks.
“Investigations have also revealed a complex mechanism of fund raising for the
BKI and Khalistan Tiger
Force (KTF), whose chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar was gunned down by unidentified
men in Canada last year.
As per NIA, a former gangster, Harwinder Singh Sandhu alias Rinda is now a very
important BKI member and Khalistani operative. “In the year 2018-19, he fled to
Pakistan illegally and is currently living there under the patronage of ISI,
and is involved in commission of terrorist activities against India. 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,” said a senior North Block official.
Landa was initially involved in criminal and gangster related activities. In
2017, he left for Canada and continued his activities from there. He was also
the mastermind of the conspiracy to kill Punjab Police SI Dilbagh Singh in
August, 2022.
