4 sentenced to life imprisonment in terror conspiracy case involving banned Babbar Khalsa outfits

Four terrorists have been sentenced to life imprisonment in a terror conspiracy case. (representative)

New Delhi:

Four terrorists were sentenced to life imprisonment on Thursday by a special NIA court in Mohali in connection with the terror conspiracy case related to the banned Babar Khalsa International, an official statement said.

A statement issued by the National Intelligence Agency said the terrorists convicted and sentenced by the court include key conspirator Kulwinderjeet Singh alias Khanpuria, who was involved in several terror cases including The Connaught Place bomb blast and the grenade attack on Red Fort in Delhi in the 1990s. Investigative Agency (NIA).

Reports said he was also wanted in several terror cases, including conspiracy to carry out targeted killings in Punjab province.

Khan Priya was found to have masterminded the BKI terror plot in this case, the statement said.

He has been missing since 2019 and was arrested by the National Intelligence Agency at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport in November 2022 while being deported from Bangkok.

At that time, he had a reward of Rs 5 lakh for his arrest and was declared a criminal by the NIA court.

“In a major victory for the NIA in the fight against terror groups and networks, the NIA Special Court Mohali on Thursday sentenced four terrorists to life imprisonment in a terror conspiracy case related to the banned Babar Khalsa International (BKI) outfit,” the statement said.

The NIA investigation revealed that Khan Priya and his masterminds and associates in India and abroad planned and conspired to carry out terror attacks in India.

He later managed to escape from India.

“While he was stationed abroad, he came in contact with Dr. Hamit Alias ​​and later with Lakhbir Singh Rode, President of ISYF (International Sikh Youth Federation) in Pakistan. The perpetrators induced him to use his terrorist associates in India to target various identified targets, individuals and institutions,” the statement said.

The report said that all four were actively involved in the criminal conspiracy to launch a wave of terror attacks across the country with an aim to revive the terror movement in Punjab.

To further their nefarious anti-India agenda, they collected funds, arms and ammunition and conducted reconnaissance of important targets including Dera Sacha Sauda complex, security related agencies in Punjab and BBMB (Bakla Bias Management Board) office NIA investigation revealed that in Chandigarh.

The NIA had earlier booked charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Arms Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act over the incidents.

The case was initially registered by the State Special Operations Cell (SSOC), Amritsar, on May 30, 2019. Later, the NIA took over and re-registered it following the order of the Union Home Ministry on June 26, 2019.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)