NIA chargesheets three BKI-linked conduits

NEW DELHI

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a supplementary chargesheet against three alleged associates of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI)-linked terrorist Harwinder Singh Sandhu, pertaining to the seizure of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), arms and ammunition in Haryana’s Madhuban last May.

The arraigned accused have been identified as Akashdeep, Sukhbeer Singh and Jarmalpreet Singh. They were arrested in connection with the seizure of three IEDs, one pistol with two magazines, 31 rounds of ammunition and Rs.1.30 lakh in cash from Gurpreet Singh, Amandeep Singh, Parminder Singh and Bhupinder Singh at Bastara Toll Plaza.

According to the agency, the three were in touch with Sandhu and were accomplices of those arrested at Bastara toll plaza. “They had also retrieved the consignment of arms, ammunition and explosives sent by Harwinder Singh Sandhu from across the border [Pakistan] via drones. Sandhu had sent these consignments to carry out terror attacks in the country in the name of BKI,” said an official.

The consignment was being taken to Adilabad in Telangana at Sandhu’s instance when they were intercepted by the police on May 5, 2022. Subsequently, the NIA took over the case and filed the first chargesheet against six accused, including Sandhu, on October 31 last year.

In the latest chargesheet, the NIA has invoked various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Arms Act and the Explosives Substances Act against the three accused.

The NIA has been probing multiple cases in which drones were used to smuggle drugs, explosives, weapons and cash from Pakistan.

In one case, the agency recently chargesheeted one Gurmej Singh, from Ferozepur in Punjab, for allegedly being part of a module that smuggled drugs, weapons, ammunition, explosives and IEDs dropped into the Indian territory at the instance of International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) chief Lakhbir Singh Rode and his associates.