Synopsis
An active terrorist of the Khalistani group Babbar Khalsa International, with links to ISI, was arrested in Uttar Pradesh's Kaushambi during a joint operation by the STF and Punjab Police. The suspect, Lajar Masih, was found with explosives and illegal arms.Key Takeaways
- Lajar Masih arrested for ties with Babbar Khalsa International.
- Operated under Swarn Singh, linked to ISI.
- Seized items included explosives and a foreign pistol.
- Previously escaped judicial custody.
- Part of a broader crackdown on terror modules.
Lucknow, March 6 (NationPress) An "active terrorist" affiliated with the Khalistani extremist group Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and linked to Pakistan's ISI was apprehended in the early hours of Thursday in Kaushambi district of Uttar Pradesh. This operation was a collaboration between the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) and Punjab Police, officials confirmed.
The arrested individual, known as Lajar Masih, hails from Kurlian village in the Ramdas area of Amritsar, Punjab.
Masih was taken into custody at approximately 3:20 a.m. in an operation conducted in the vicinity of the Kokhraj police station in Kaushambi, as stated by Amitabh Yash, Additional Director General of Police for the UP Special Task Force.
According to the available data, the captured terrorist is reportedly involved with Swarn Singh, also known as Jeevan Fauji, who leads the Germany-based cell of Babbar Khalsa International and maintains direct contact with operatives from Pakistan's ISI.
This individual had previously escaped from judicial custody in Punjab on September 24, 2024, Yash noted.
The UP STF successfully seized a cache of explosives and illegal weaponry from him.
The confiscated items include three active hand grenades, two active detonators, a foreign-manufactured pistol, and 13 cartridges of foreign origin, according to police reports.
Additionally, officers retrieved white explosive powder, an Aadhaar card registered at a Ghaziabad address, and a mobile phone without a SIM card.
A key suspect linked to the bombing incidents in Amritsar's Jaintipur and Batala's Raimal was killed in a police shootout in Batala last week.
This arrest follows the disruption of a Pakistan's ISI-supported Babbar Khalsa International terror cell, with two operatives, Mohit from Buddhe di Khui in Batala and Vishal from Basarpura in Batala, also taken into custody.
Punjab Police has dismantled a terror module linked to Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI-Pakistan), which was responsible for attacks in Batala, resolving cases related to incidents in Jaintipur and Raimal that occurred on January 15, 2025, and February 17, 2025, respectively.
Explosive devices were thrown at the residence of a former chairman of the Amritsar Zila Parishad in Jaintipur on January 15, and near the home of a policeman's relative on February 17 in Batala. Happy Passia had claimed responsibility for both attacks via social media.
