DW BUREAU / New Delhi

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) said on Wednesday that it has filed a charge sheet against two key associates of designated terrorist Lakhbir Singh, also known as Landa, of the banned Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) organisation. The charge sheet was submitted on Tuesday before the NIA Special Court in Mohali, Punjab.

The accused, Jaspreet Singh alias Jass, hailing from Ferozepur district in Punjab, and Baljeet Singh alias Rana Bhai from Badwani district in Madhya Pradesh, are alleged to be active members of a terror gang orchestrated by the foreign-based Khalistani terrorist Landa, the NIA said. NIA's investigation revealed Jaspreet Singh's critical role as an on-ground operative for Landa and his associate, Pattu Khaira. He was actively involved in carrying out the gang's activities, which included drug smuggling and an extortion network designed to generate financial resources for BKI's operations.

According to the NIA, Baljeet Singh, on the other hand, was instrumental in manufacturing and supplying weapons to members of the Landa gang and associated gangsters.

He allegedly used social media platforms to facilitate the delivery of these weapons across various regions. Baljeet was one of the key suppliers in a nationwide network of arms dealers tied to the gang. During the investigation, NIA officials seized a cache of arms, ammunition, narcotics, drug money, digital devices, and other incriminating evidence linked to the accused. The case forms part of a broader crackdown on terror conspiracies with transnational links.

The NIA stated that the investigation is still going on and aims to uncover further details about the terror network's operations, funding, and collaborators. The Home Ministry has designated Lakhbir Singh Landa, a 33-year-old Canada-based gangster, as a terrorist under the stringent anti-terror law UAPA. Landa was involved in a rocket attack on the Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters in Mohali in 2021, among other terrorist activities, according to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Landa fled to Canada in 2017. The MHA identifies him as a member of the notorious Khalistani group, BKI.

(editor@dailyworld.in)