NIA’s hurricane war against separatism gets stronger, property of Pak based Khalistani terrorist Rode’s confiscated in Punjab

In yet another crackdown against Khaliatani terrosrists, National Investigation Agency (NIA) special court in Mohali has ordered the confiscation of land belonging to Pakistan-based terrorist Lakhbir Singh alias Rode.

Rode is the nephew of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, an erstwhile leader of the Khalistan movement.

He is self-styled chief of Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) and International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) who fled to Pakistan around 1996-97. The concerned land is in Moga district of Punjab. The court ordered the confiscation of the property, nearly 1.4 acres of property, among other assets, in village Kothe Gurupura (Rode) under Section 33 (5) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

The seizure was related to a terror case, registered by NIA in 2021, in which Rode faces multiple charges under various sections of IPC, UAPA, NDPS Act and the Explosive Substances Act. The case, masterminded by Rode, involves a tiffin bomb blast that occurred in 2021 near Punjab National Bank in Jalalabad town, Fazilka district, Punjab.

According to NIA, Rode worked in collusion with his Pakistan-based ‘masters’and a key role in sending consignments of terrorist hardware, including arms, ammunition, custom-made tiffin bombs, grenades, explosives as well as drugs, to carry out terrorist acts, particularly bomb blasts, to instil fear and terror among the people of Punjab.

Rode is accused of engaging in a wide array of terror activities and his criminal dossier lists armed attacks on law enforcement personnel, orchestrating IED and bomb blasts, targeted killings of members of the minority community, extortion, fundraising for terrorist operations, and instilling terror among the general populace. NIA is investigating at least six cases in which he is wanted for active involvement in terror-related activities between 2021 and 2023.

Meanwhile Amritsar police in a joint operation with State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) have arrested three operatives of US based notorious criminal Harpreet Singh alias Happy planning target killings in Punjab on Wednesday. Happy is known to be accomplice of Lakhbir Singh Rode.

The police have recovered two pistols, three magazines and 11 bullets from their possession. They were produced before Ajnala Sub division court which has sent them to police remand for further interrogation. The police officials revealed that Happy who originally hailed from Pachhia village in Ramdas area of Amritsar and his two accomplices Harbir Singh and Navroop Singh, also from Ramdas who were currently living in USA were in touch with Pakistan based Harvinder Singh alias Rinda, member Babar Khalsa International (BKI) outfit. Rinda was designated as terrorist by the Indian government.

As per the FIR registered under section 13, 17, 18 and 20 of The Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, Section 25 of Arms Act and Sections 109, 115 and 120- B IPC with Ajnala police station here revealed that the group had recently received a consignment of weapons from across the Indo-Pak border and were planning to target various prominent political and socio-religious leaders in different parts of Punjab.

Also read : After Panjwar, three other pro-Khalistan fugitives could be on Pakistan’s hit-list amid policy shift in Islamabad