NEW DELHI: Dilbagh Singh, a close relative of the Pakistan-based Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) chief Wadhawa Singh, and a non-resident Indian (NRI) visa agent have been arrested here by the Inter-State Cell of the Delhi police Crime Branch.

According to the Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch), Ranjit Narain, a team led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Ravi Shankar, came to know recently about the activities of Dilbagh Singh, who is the brother of Germany-based Satnam Singh, son-in-law of Wadhawa Singh.

Investigations revealed that Dilbagh Singh was trying to flee the country with the help of Surender Singh Kanda, a resident of Nairobi in Kenya.

Acting on a tip-off that the duo would come to Old Delhi railway station on Thursday night, a police team comprising Inspectors Subhash Tandon, Pankaj Sood and Sandeep Malhotra mounted a raid and arrested them.

During interrogation, Dilbagh purportedly disclosed that after Jagtar Singh Hawara, the BKI chief for operations in India, and other members of the outfit were arrested by the Delhi and Punjab police, he thought it better to flee the country. His brother Satnam Singh contacted his friend Ranbir Singh, who is based in Spain, to make arrangements for the escape. Ranbir Singh contacted Surender Singh Kanda, who was then in Kenya, and offered him a return ticket to India and 60,000 DM for arranging a passport and visa for Dilbagh. According to the plan, Dilbagh was to be taken first to Kenya and then to Germany.

About a fortnight ago Surender arrived in India and met Dilbagh, after which they came to Delhi to arrange visa and passport. However, they were arrested at Old Delhi station.

On Friday, a city court remanded them to police custody up to July 21. The two were taken to Punjab for identification and arrest of other Babbar Khalsa Imternational militants, who were in touch with Dilbagh.

The police charged that Dilbagh had received at least four consignments of explosions and weapons smuggled in from Pakistan and had passed them on to Jagtar Singh, Paramjeet Singh Behora and Jagtar Singh Tara, the three who had made a dramatic escape from the high-security Burail Jail in Chandigarh last year.

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