Babar Khalsa operative arrested in UP faces multiple cases in Punjab too

A Babbar Khalsa Internationals BKI active operative arrested in Uttar Pradesh early Thursday also faces multiple criminal cases in Punjab, DGP Gaurav Yadav said here.Lajar Masih, a resident of Kurlian village in Amritsar, was arrested from Uttar Pradeshs Kaushambi district in a joint operation of UPs STF and Punjab Police.

A Babbar Khalsa International's (BKI) ''active operative'' arrested in Uttar Pradesh early Thursday also faces multiple criminal cases in Punjab, DGP Gaurav Yadav said here.

Lajar Masih, a resident of Kurlian village in Amritsar, was arrested from Uttar Pradesh's Kaushambi district in a joint operation of UP's STF and Punjab Police. He was reportedly planning a major terrorist attack during the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj.

Yadav said Masih was working under Germany-based BKI operative Swaran Singh alias Jeevan Fauji and was in direct contact with Pakistan's ISI.

Fauji is a key associate of Pakistan-based BKI mastermind Harwinder Rinda and USA-based BKI operative Happy Passian, said Yadav.

On Fauji’s instructions, he had carried out multiple criminal acts in Punjab, including a shooting in Batala on October 23, 2024, and providing weapons and other logistics support for targeted killing in Kalanaur and Dera Baba Nanak.

According to the reports, Masih had also been supplying grenades, which were referred to as ''potatoes'' in code language, to BKI operatives involved in attacks on police checkpoints in Punjab. He was previously jailed for arms and heroin smuggling but escaped from Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, Amritsar, on September 24, 2024, while undergoing treatment, police said PTI CHS AMJ AMJ AMJ