The Hindu : Front Page : Babbar Khalsa militants captured in Delhi

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 21, 2006

Front Page

Front Page

Babbar Khalsa militants captured in Delhi

Staff Reporter

RDX among explosives seized; Pak hand alleged behind operations

BIG CATCH: Paramjeet Singh Bheora (left), head of operations of Babbar Khalsa International in India, along with his accomplices in police custody on Monday. PHOTO: SANDEEP SAXENA

NEW DELHI: Paramjeet Singh Bheora, alleged head of operations of Babbar Khalsa International in India, and two of his accomplices who were planning to set up base here in the Capital have been arrested by the Special Cell of the Delhi police. According to the police, a huge quantity of arms and ammunition has been recovered from them.

Paramjeet was allegedly involved in the assassination of Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh in 1995. He was in touch with Harjeet Singh Gill, Babbar Khalsa chief in the U.S., who too is wanted in the same case. Paramjeet had taken over control of Babbar Khalsa in India after its previous chief Jagtar Singh Hawara was arrested by the Delhi police last year. At least three Babbar Khala militants, including Hawara, had made a sensational escape from Burail Jail in Chandigarh in 2004. They were arrested last year following twin blasts inside cinema halls in the Capital in May 2005.

Joint Commissioner of Delhi Police (Special Cell) Karnal Singh told media persons here on Monday that a special team had been tracking the movements of Babbar Khalsa militants since Hawara's arrest. Acting on a tip-off, the team under the supervision of Assistant Commissioner of Police Ravi Shankar laid a trap on GT Karnal Road in Delhi around 6 a.m. on Monday. Paramjeet and his accomplices Jasbir Singh and Bhupinder Singh were arrested following an exchange of fire. "Four kg of RDX, three detonators, one remote control device along with a wireless set, one timer, three pistols, 39 live cartridges and three fired cartridges were recovered from them. The stolen Santro car in which they were travelling was also seized."

Mr. Karnal Singh said Paramjeet and his accomplices had come to Delhi to meet a contact who was to provide them a hideout as well as a vehicle. Further, Paramjeet was to go to Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh to meet another link, while Jasbir and Bhupinder were to go to Rajasthan to collect a huge consignment of arms and ammunition sent by BKI chief Wadhawa Singh who is now based in Pakistan.

The police said Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence was helping these militants. Harjeet, who was coordinating terrorist activities on directions from Wadhawa Singh, had been sending money to Paramjeet through hawala and subsequently through Western Union Money Transfer, said the Joint Commissioner.

Paramjeet had also allegedly motivated a woman to become a human bomb, besides roping in several young men to take to terrorism. He had visited Pakistan in 1996 after the assassination of the Punjab Chief Minister and met leaders of insurgent outfits like Khalistan Commando Force, International Sikh Youth Federation, Khalistan Zindabad Force and BKI.

According to the police, the identities of the contacts of the accused have been established and investigations are on to ascertain the targets they planned to hit in the Capital.

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