New Delhi: Four terrorists were on Thursday given life imprisonment in a terror conspiracy case related to the banned Babbar Khalsa International outfit by a NIA special court in Mohali, according to an official statement. The terrorists convicted and sentenced by the court include chief conspirator Kulwinderjeet Singh alias Khanpuria, involved in several terror cases, including a bomb blast at Connaught Place and a grenade attack at Red Fort in Delhi, in the nineties, said the statement issued by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
He was also wanted in several terror cases, including a conspiracy to carry out targeted killings in Punjab, it said. Khanpuria was found to have masterminded the BKI terror conspiracy in the instant case, the statement said. He had been absconding since 2019 and was arrested by the NIA from Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, on his deportation from Bangkok in November 2022.
He had then been carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh for his arrest and was declared a proclaimed offender by the NIA court. "In a major victory for NIA in its fight against the terror outfits and networks, the NIA special court, Mohali, on Thursday sentenced four terrorists to life in a terror conspiracy case related to the banned Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) outfit," the statement said.
NIA investigations had revealed that Khanpuria, along with his handlers and associates, based in India and abroad, had planned and conspired to carry out terrorist attacks in India. He later managed to flee from India. "While he was based abroad, he came in contact with Harmeet alias PhD, and subsequently with wanted Pakistan-based ISYF (International Sikh Youth Federation) chief Lakhbir Singh Rode, who roped him into using his India-based terrorist associates for targeting various identified individuals as well as establishments," the statement said.
All four were actively involved in the criminal conspiracy to unleash a wave of terror attacks across the country, with the aim of reviving the terrorist movement in Punjab, it said. To further their nefarious anti-India agenda, they had collected funds, arms and ammunition, and had also conducted a recce of significant targets, including the Dera Sacha Sauda complex, security-related establishments in Punjab and BBMB (Bhakra Beas Management Board) office in Chandigarh, NIA investigations had revealed.
NIA had charge-sheeted them earlier under different sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Arms Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The case was originally registered by the State Special Operation Cell (SSOC), Amritsar, on May 30, 2019. It was taken over and re-registered by the NIA later in pursuance of the Union Home Ministry's order dated June 26, 2019.
