Punjab terror conspiracy case: NIA chargesheets key associate of Khalistani terrorists Rinda, Landa

New Delhi, Oct 22 (IANS) The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has chargesheeted a key associate of Khalistani terrorists Rinda and Landa in a Punjab terror conspiracy case.

The charge sheet against Gurpreet Singh @ Gopi of Tarn Taran (Punjab) was filed on Monday before the NIA Special Court, Mohali.

NIA has identified the accused as an associate of foreign-based Individual designated terrorists Harwinder Singh Sandhu@ Rinda and Lakhbir Singh@ Landa of the banned terrorist organisation, the 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 accused was involved in the RPG attack on the Sarhali police station 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.

The 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 Lakhbir Singh@ Landa. He had recruited vulnerable youth for the BKI terror module. He had additionally carried out recce of the targets identified by Landa and had made attempts to eliminate those targets.

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 UA(P) Act, IPC and Arms Act.

Investigations in the case RC-21/2023/NIA/DLI are continuing, said the NIA.

In August, in a major success against the pro-Khalistan terror network, the NIA arrested a key aide of dreaded foreign-based terrorists Rinda and Landa. The agency successfully secured the extradition of Landa's brother Tarsem Singh from the UAE.

"The accused, Tarsem Singh of district Tarn Taran in Punjab and the real brother of Designated Individual Terrorist Lakhbir Landa had a non-bailable warrant (NBW) of arrest against him since June 2023. Wanted in NIA case RC 37/2022/NIA/DLI, he was a key member of Babbar Khalistan International (BKI) terrorist organisation and an important terror node of designated terrorists Rinda and Landa in the UAE," the NIA had stated then.