DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

Punjab Police chief Gaurav Yadav Friday hailed the arrest of gangster-turned-terrorist Harpreet Singh alias Happy Passia in the US as a "major milestone in the success of war against terror" and said efforts are on to extradite him. Passia (29) was arrested by the FBI and the US Immigration department's Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), in Sacramento in the US.

He was wanted for orchestrating 16 terror attacks including 14 grenade strikes in Punjab, The DGP said Punjab Police has taken up the matter with the central government and all efforts for his extradition are being done.

In a post on X, he said, "The arrest of Harpreet Singh @ Happy Passia, a #USA-based key operative of ISI-backed Babbar Khalsa International (#BKI) and close associate of #Pakistan-based Terrorist Rinda, is a major milestone in the sustained crackdown on ISI-backed terror networks."

In a video message, he also said, "After coming in contact with Pak-based Rinda, he (Passia) became a primary node through whom at the best of Pak ISI the terror modules used to carry out different types of terror acts in Punjab."

"After September 2024, in many incidents which took place, in many of these Passia had a direct involvement and he was masterminding these while based in the United States," the DGP said.

"However, in a meticulous manner, Punjab police tracked him and terror modules which he had raised were dismantled. A complete mapping of all his contacts was done and after complete intelligence mapping his network was dismantled.

"An extensive dossier was made and was shared with central agencies and through appropriate channels information has been shared with the US authorities," he said.

Crime does not pay and a criminal who indulges in crime will have to pay and face the law, DGP asserted in the video message.

"Between 2023-?2025, Happy Passia played a central role in orchestrating targeted killings, grenade attacks on police establishments, and extortion across #Punjab and other states. His arrest on April 17, 2025, in Sacramento, USA by FBI & ICE, is the outcome of excellent international cooperation and exchange of information between the #UnitedStates & #India. @PunjabPoliceInd consistently shared intelligence with the central agencies," DGP said in the post on X.

"Our resolve remains firm to protect every citizen of the state of Punjab, dismantle terror ecosystems, and uphold peace in the face of cross-border threats," he added.

(editor@dailyworld.in)