The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday (June 12, 2025) carried out searches at 15 locations across Punjab and Haryana in connection with the Amritsar police post grenade attack case, linked to the banned terror outfit Babbar Khalsa International (BKI).
The coordinated searches were conducted in the districts of Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Pathankot, Kapurthala, and Rupnagar in Punjab, and Sirsa in Haryana. The grenade attack had taken place in January this year at a police post falling under the jurisdiction of the Cantonment police station in Amritsar.
“Incriminating materials, including mobiles/digital devices and documents, were seized during the searches, and are being examined for further clues to the terror syndicate of BKI,” an NIA spokesperson said.
The NIA stated that the Amritsar attack was part of a larger pattern of targeted assaults on law enforcement establishments in Punjab and Haryana, allegedly orchestrated by BKI operatives. The attack was claimed by Harpreet Singh, alias Happy Passian, a U.S.-based alleged operative of the banned group. He was arrested in April by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Enforcement and Removal Operations of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The 29-year-old accused is believed to be involved in a conspiracy behind 16 terror incidents, including 14 grenade attacks across Punjab. The NIA had earlier announced a reward of ₹5 lakh for information leading to his arrest, specifically in connection with the hand-grenade attack on a house in Chandigarh in September 2024.
Investigations into the January grenade attack have revealed that Sarwan Singh, currently based in the U.S., had allegedly provided both the grenade and funding for the incident. The recipients, Bagga Singh and Mandeep Singh, executed the plan. “Bagga was arrested in February 2025 by the Punjab police, which had initially investigated the case. Mandeep Singh is absconding,” the NIA said.
The agency took over the investigation in April 2025. Thursday’s searches targeted premises linked to Mandeep Singh, Sarwan Singh, and his brother Makka.
The NIA further noted that Sarwan Singh and Makka are brothers of Ranjit Singh alias Cheeta, a “notorious drug smuggler” previously arrested by the agency in two narco-terrorism cases. “Sarwan Singh is also an accused in the second narco-terror case,” the agency added.
Published – June 12, 2025 10:36 pm IST
