A Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) “sleeper-cell activist” arrested on Tuesday night was using a fake social-media identity to draft Sikh youth into the terrorist outfit’s war against India.
Arvinder Singh (BKI), arrested from his Pallian Khurd village house near Rahon, was on Facebook as “Mitha Singh”, his page flooded with posts and pictures of terrorist leaders. He had come to the village in February and had top VIPs of Punjab, besides a dera head, retired top police officers, and Hindu right-wing leaders, on his target.
Read: With arrest of two key men, Khalistani ‘terror cells’ busted in Punjab
Intelligence agencies have interrogated him about his social-networking campaign to recruit youth. On Wednesday, he was remanded in police custody for six days. A senior cop said Arvinder had also met Pakistan-based BKI chief Wadhawa Singh. Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Snehdeep Sharma said the outfit had radicalised Arvinder and he took instructions from its overseas handlers.
Police declined to give the details of the weapons, explosives and the passports seized from Arvinder. The first-information report (FIR) says he came back recently from Doha in the Gulf country of Qatar and formed a squad to set off bombs to disturb law and order.
A case under Sections 10 and 13 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act of 1967, and Sections 121 (Waging war against India) and 121-A (conspiracy to commit offences punishable under Section 121) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered against him at Rahon.
{{/usCountry}}A case under Sections 10 and 13 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act of 1967, and Sections 121 (Waging war against India) and 121-A (conspiracy to commit offences punishable under Section 121) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered against him at Rahon.
{{/usCountry}}Ludhiana counterpart quizzed about killing of Sena leader
Ludhiana: A Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) “sleeper-cell activist” arrested on Tuesday night was on Thursday interrogated about the April 23 shooting of Shiv Sena leader Durga Parsad Gupta in Khanna.
Police say Mandeep Singh of Chakk Kalan was recruiting youth into a terrorist war against India, and when arrested at Mullapur Dakha near here, was also plotting bomb attacks across Punjab. A court has given the police five days to grill him.
He is reported to have told police about his BKI weapon suppliers in Pakistan and the plans to attack senior cops, Shiv Sena leaders, and various dera heads, for which he was sent to Punjab a few months ago from Canada. “He said one Hardeep Singh in Canada had motivated him to join the BKI and given him arms training. Mandeep visited Punjab every year but this time he had come for drafting,” said the Mullanpur Dakha deputy superintendent of police (DSP).