E-Paper
Cross-border smuggling via drones: Gangsters Landa, Brar booked for pushing arms, drugs into Punjab
SSOC of the Punjab Police have booked nine persons for smuggling big consignments of arms, ammunition, explosives and drugs from across the border using drones, the police said.
AMRITSAR
The state special operations cell (SSOC) of the Punjab Police have booked nine persons, including Canada-based gangsters Lakhbir Singh, alias Landa Harike, and Satwinder Singh alias Goldy Brar, for smuggling big consignments of arms, ammunition, explosives and drugs from across the border using drones, police said on Tuesday..
The other accused named in the first information report (FIR) include Satbir Singh, alias Satta, presently living in Greece, Harpreet Singh, alias Happy Sanghera, who was killed in Italy at the instance of Landa on Sunday, Gurpartap Singh, alias Sherry, also living abroad, Nobalpreet Singh of Kot Dharam Chand village in Tarn Taran, Kulwinder Singh, alias Rinku, of Gharinda, Onkar Singh of Beas and Sukhbir Singh of Amritsar. They were in contact with Pakistan-based gangster-turned-terrorist Harvinder Singh, alias Rinda, who died reportedly due to drug overdose in Pakistan on Saturday.
The FIR was registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, Arms Act, Explosives Act, NDPS Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act at the SSOC’s Amritsar police station.
The FIR, which has been registered on the complaint of a Punjab Police inspector, reads that the network of gangsters spread in India, Pakistan, America, Europe and other countries is sending a large cache of arms to Punjab from across the border. They have made sleeper cells, besides establishing their network in Punjab jails and have been planning target killings, running extortion rackets and anti-national activities to disrupt peace in the state, the FIR reads.
The FIR further says that the activities of five foreign-based gangsters’ aides have recently increased in Amritsar and Tarn Taran districts. They have received big consignments of arms, ammunition and drugs through drones. And the proceeds of the smuggled heroin are being used for terror funding, according to the FIR.
Goldy Brar had taken the responsibility of killing Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala, who was gunned down at Jawahar Ke village in Mansa on May 29, while Landa is the mastermind of the May 9 rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) attack at the Punjab Police intelligence headquarters in Mohali.
A Facebook post on November 5 had claimed that Landa was behind the killing of Shiv Sena (Taksali) leader Sudhir Suri. The right-wing leader was shot dead outside a temple in Amritsar on November 4. Punjab Police have also claimed that Goldy Brar was linked to the killing of a Dera Sacha Sauda follower, Pardeep Kumar, who was shot dead by six assailants in his shop at Kotkapura in Faridkot on November 10.
