NIA chargesheets key aide of Khalistani terrorists in Punjab terror conspiracy case

New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has chargesheeted a key associate of Khalistani terrorists Rinda and Landa in a Punjab terror conspiracy case, the probe agency said on Tuesday.

The charge sheet against Gurpreet Singh alias Gopi of Punjab's Tarn Taran has been filed before an NIA special court in Mohali on Monday, according to an official statement.

NIA has identified the accused as an associate of foreign-based individual designated terrorists Harwinder Singh Sandhu alias Rinda and Lakhbir Singh alias Landa of the banned terrorist organisation, Babbar Khalsa International (BKI).

Investigations by the anti-terror agency have established his role in a conspiracy hatched by the BKI terrorists to unleash terror in Punjab and other parts of the country, the probe agency said.

The accused was involved in the RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) attack on police station Sarhali in December, 2022, as per NIA investigations, which have revealed that he had remained in contact with his foreign-based handlers from jail and even after his release from jail in that case, it said.

NIA investigations have further found that Gurpreet had conspired to raise funds for BKI and its operatives in India through large-scale extortion from businessmen on the directions of Landa. He had also recruited vulnerable youth for the BKI terror module, the NIA said.

Gurpreet had additionally carried out recces of the targets identified by Landa and had made attempts to eliminate those targets, it said.

NIA, which had seized an illegal weapon from the accused's house during a search operation in January this year, has charged him under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Indian Penal Code and Arms Act, the statement said.