E-Paper
Interpol issues blue notice in Khalistan-linked probe
The “blue notice” was issued against US based Harjot Singh last month on the basis of a request by NIA, the people said. Such a notice is issued to collect additional information about a person’s identity, location or activities in relation to a crime.
A “blue notice” has been issued by the Interpol and Look Out Circulars (LOCs) by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) against several people in the United States, Greece and Philippines in connection with the Indian agency’s probe into an alleged nexus of gangsters and Khalistani outfits operating from foreign soil, according to people familiar with the development.
The “blue notice” was issued against US based Harjot Singh last month on the basis of a request by NIA, the people said. Such a notice is issued to collect additional information about a person’s identity, location or activities in relation to a crime.
Besides this, LOCs were issued by NIA against Satnam Singh, alias, Satta, currently hiding in Greece, and Amrik Singh and Mandeep Singh – both reportedly operating from the Philippines – last month, the people cited above added.
A Delhi court had also issued non-bailable warrants (NBWs) against the four people on April 24.
“The blue notice will assist in tracing the suspect while the LOCs will ensure that the accused persons are caught at Indian airports or ports if they try to sneak in,” an NIA officer said, seeking anonymity.
The officer said that Satnam Singh is a member of Jagdeep Singh alias Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gang while others are linked to Khalistani terrorist activities being carried out from foreign soil.
The case pertains to an alleged nexus of Khalistani outfits, including the Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF), Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) and several north India based gangsters and their role in terror attacks, smuggling of arms and drugs from Pakistan using drones, targeted hits and extortions from industrialists, businessmen and professionals.
Besides a “blue notice” and LOCs against the above four suspects, NIA has declared a reward of ₹10 lakh on Kashmir Singh Galwaddi, a KLF terrorist who had escaped during the 2017 Nabha jail break.
Earlier, in the same case, a reward of ₹15 lakh was announced for Canada based gangster Lakhbir Singh Landa, who reportedly supervises smuggling of arms and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) from Pakistan. Landa is known to work with BKI and was the key conspirator behind the rocket propelled grenade (RPG) attack at the Punjab Police intelligence headquarters in Mohali on May 9 last year.
Over two dozen gangsters-turned-Khalistanis wanted by NIA and other Indian agencies – Arshdeep Singh alias Arsh Dala, who has already been designated as an ‘individual terrorist’ under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), Gurpinder Singh, Satveer Singh, Charnjeet Singh, Ramandeep Singh and Gagandeep Singh – besides Goldy Brar, are hiding in Canada.
Gangsters including Gaurav Patyal, Sachin Thapan and Jagjeet Singh are hiding in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Malaysia, respectively.
In a statement in January this year, NIA said “the terror-gangster-drug smuggler network was engaged in smuggling terrorist hardware, such as arms, ammunition explosives, IEDs etc across border through a widespread inter-state network of gun runners, illegal arms and ammunition manufacturers and suppliers and explosive traffickers”.
The federal agency has registered three cases against these “terror-gangster-drug smuggler” networks and arrested 19 leaders and members of various organised criminal gangs, two arms suppliers and one big financier connected with the network under UAPA.
Overall, close to 300 gangsters and mid-level criminals have been arrested by NIA and Delhi Police as part of a larger crackdown since August last year.
