Babbar Khalsa Terrorist with ISI links Arrested

An "active terrorist" of Khalistani terror group — Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) — and Pakistan's ISI was arrested from Uttar Pradesh's Kaushambi district in the early hours of Thursday in a joint operation by Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) and Punjab Police, an official said.

The suspected terrorist, identified as Lajar Masih is said to be a resident of Kurlian village in Ramdas area of Amritsar, Punjab. He was arrested around 3:20 a.m. in an operation carried out in the Kokhraj police station area of Kaushambi, Additional Director General of Police (UP Special Task Force, Law and Order) Amitabh Yash said.

"As per available information, the arrested terrorist works for Swarn Singh alias Jeevan Fauji, the head of the Germany-based module of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), and is in direct touch with Pakistan-based ISI operatives," Yash said.

"This terrorist had escaped from judicial custody in Punjab on September 24, 2024," the ADG said. The officer added that the UP STF succeeded in recovering some explosives material and illegal arms from the terrorist.

Among the seizures made are three active hand grenades, two active detonators, one foreign-made pistol, and 13 cartridges of foreign make, the officer said.

Besides, a white-coloured explosive powder, an Aadhaar card with a Ghaziabad address, and one mobile phone without a SIM card were also seized from his possession, he said.

A key accused involved in hurling explosives in Amritsar's Jaintipur and Batala's Raimal was killed in an exchange of fire with the police in Batala last week.

The development came hours after the police busted Pakistan's ISI-backed Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) terror module with the arrest of its two operatives identified as Mohit of Buddhe di Khui in Batala and Vishal of Basarpura in Batala.

"Punjab Police busts a terror module backed by Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI-Pakistan) responsible for attacks in Batala and solves the attack cases in Jaintipur and Raimal carried out on January 15, 2025 and February 17, 2025, respectively (sic)," said Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav in a post on X.

Explosives had been hurled at the residence of a late ex-chairman of Amritsar Zila Parishad in Jaintipur on January 15 and near the residence of a policeman's relative on February 17 in Batala. Happy Passia had used social media to claim responsibility for both blasts. 

—IANS