New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday chargesheeted banned Babbar Khalsa International's (BKI) Pakistan-based chief Wadhawa Singh and five other terrorists in the murder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Vikas Prabhakar in Punjab in April this year.
Prabhakar, also known as Vikas Bagga, was shot dead by terrorists belonging to a BKI module at his confectionary shop at Nangal in Punjab's Roopnagar district on April 13, 2024. The NIA chargesheet has named BKI chief Wadhawa Singh alias Babbar, along with two other absconding accused and three arrested accused, as the key perpetrators of the killing, according to a statement issued by the NIA.
Two of the three arrested accused have been identified as shooters Mandeep Kumar alias Mangli and Surinder Kumar alias Rika, both residents of Punjab's Nawanshahar. The accused have been charged under various sections of the UA(P) Act, IPC and Arms Act.
The third arrested accused charge-sheeted by the NIA is Gurpreet Ram alias Gora, who is also from Nawanshahr and charged under the Arms Act, the NIA said. The three absconders were the handlers of the arrested accused.
Babbar, currently based in Pakistan, along with Harjit Singh alias Laddi of Nawanshahar and Kulbeer Singh alias Sidhu of Yamunanagar, Haryana, had provided the arms, ammunition and funds to carry out the murder, the NIA said.
The NIA, which took over the case from the state police on May 9, 2024, found a transnational conspiracy of the BKI behind the deadly terror attack. Several members of the BKI module based in various countries came together to carry out the targeted killing, as per the NIA investigations.
The investigation has further revealed that Wadhawa Singh from Pakistan directed Harjit Singh and Kulbeer Singh, who are currently in Germany, to carry out the murder. The roles of Dubai-based logistics providers and India-based weapons suppliers have also figured in the investigation, which is continuing, the NIA said.
