Canada-based Babbar Khalsa’s Lakhbir Singh Landa declared terrorist by MHA

Canada-based gangster and BKI operative Lakhbir Singh Landa has been notified as an “individual terrorist” under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act

Updated on: Dec 30, 2023, 05:49:19 IST

By Neeraj Chauhan , New Delhi

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The ministry of home affairs (MHA) on Friday declared Canada-based gangster and Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) leader Lakhbir Singh Landa an “individual terrorist” under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

Landa, who supervises smuggling of arms and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) from Pakistan to India, is the mastermind behind the rocket propelled grenade (RPG) attack at the Punjab Police intelligence headquarters in Mohali on May 9 last year, and is wanted by the Punjab Police and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in this regard.

According to a notification issued by MHA, Landa was also closely associated with Canada-based pro-Khalistan elements (PKEs), including deceased Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar and Sikhs for Justice leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun among others.

Landa, a resident of Harike in Punjab’s Tarn Taran district, is currently based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Read here: From Goldy Brar to Landa, Punjab’s most wanted hiding in Canada

“Lakhbir Singh alias Landa, backed by cross border agency, was involved in the terror attack through shoulder mounted Rocket Propelled Grenade on the building of Punjab State Intelligence Headquarter at Mohali. He has been involved in supply of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), arms, sophisticated weapons, explosives from across the border to various modules for carrying out terrorist activities in Punjab,” the notification said.

It added that Landa was also involved in various criminal cases related to raising of terror modules, extortion, killings, planting IEDs, smuggling of weapons and narcotics and using funds or proceeds thereof for terrorist acts in Punjab and other parts of the country.

Besides, the gangster is involved in targeted killings, extortions and other anti-national activities in different parts of India, the notification said.

A look out circular was issued against Landa in 2021 and NIA has also declared a reward on him.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Chauhan
Neeraj Chauhan is a senior journalist with Hindustan Times and an investigative reporter specialising in national security, terrorism, organised crime, narcotics, corruption, financial crime and complex investigations. With over 21 years of experience across Hindustan Times, The Times of India, The Indian Express and The Pioneer, he has built deep expertise in India’s internal security and law-enforcement landscape. Neeraj has extensively covered India’s principal investigative, intelligence and security agencies, including the NIA, CBI, ED, IB, R&AW, MHA and other central security forces. His work has included deeply reported investigations into terrorism, terror financing, cross-border crime, narcotics trafficking, cybercrime, financial fraud and political and corporate corruption. He has reported on some of the most significant terror attacks and security developments in India over the past two decades, including the Delhi serial blasts, the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the 2019 Pulwama terror attack and the recent Pahalgam attack. His reporting has also chronicled the rise and decline of the Indian Mujahideen, the activities and subsequent crackdown on the Popular Front of India (PFI), Islamist extremist networks, the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir, insurgencies in the Northeast and Maoist violence. Some of Neeraj’s major breaking stories are in Aryan Khan drug case, Sushant Singh Rajput suicide, interception of a 3,000-kg Afghan heroin consignment worth about ₹21,000 crore at Mundra port, Sri Lanka easter bombings, Aarushi-Hemraj murders in Noida, 2G scam, coal block allocation scam, AgustWestland VVIP chopper deal and major bank frauds and extradition cases involving Mehul Choksi, Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya. His reporting is marked by an ability to cultivate sources, analyse confidential and complex documents, and follow investigations over several years—from the initial breakthrough to chargesheets, trials and international legal proceedings. He specialises in making complicated security and investigative developments accessible while examining their wider implications for governance and public policy. A Chevening South Asia Journalism Programme Fellow at the University of Westminster, Neeraj also spent time at the Financial Times as part of the fellowship. He was also a Robert Bosch Media Ambassadors India-Germany Fellow, studying at the University of Tübingen and working with Der Tagesspiegel in Berlin. He has previously taught investigative journalism and crime reporting as a guest faculty member at the Times School of Journalism. Over more than two decades, Neeraj has established himself as an authoritative voice on India’s national security and investigative landscape, with his reporting closely followed by officials, investigators, lawyers, policymakers and readers seeking insight into some of the country’s most complex and consequential developments.Read More