NIA conducts searches across Punjab in crackdown on BKI terror network

New Delhi, May 16 (IANS) In a major crackdown on terror activities linked to the banned Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), the National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted extensive searches across 15 locations in Punjab on Friday, an official said.

The operation was part of an ongoing probe into the grenade attack on a police station in Gurdaspur district that took place in December 2024, said the NIA in a press release.

The searches were carried out in the districts of Gurdaspur, Batala, Amritsar, and Kapurthala. During the raids, the NIA seized several incriminating materials, including digital devices, mobile phones, and documents believed to be connected to the case, the agency’s release informed.

The investigation has brought into focus a network led by US-based BKI operative and gangster Harpreet Singh, alias Happy Passia, who is considered a key link in a broader conspiracy involving both domestic and international elements.

According to NIA, Happy, a close associate of Pakistan-based BKI terrorist Harwinder Singh, alias Rinda, has allegedly been orchestrating a series of grenade attacks on police installations in Punjab and Haryana.

The NIA revealed that the accused arrested in connection with the Gurdaspur grenade attack was acting under the direction of Happy and his associate Shamsher Singh Shera, alias Honey, along with other operatives based overseas.

These individuals are suspected of coordinating with handlers in countries including Pakistan to facilitate terror activities in India.

According to NIA findings, the BKI network is actively involved in recruiting and training operatives within India, while providing them with financial support, weapons, and explosives through cross-border channels.

The transnational conspiracy is aimed at destabilising internal security and launching targeted attacks on Indian soil.

The current investigation is being carried out under the case registered under the directive of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

--IANS

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