NIA nets main shooter in Mohali RPG attack: He is linked to a terrorist in Canada

The foreign links to the attacks in Punjab are nothing new. The ISI funds such elements who in turn channelise these funds into India

New Delhi, Jan 25: The National Investigation Agency has arrested a man who is the main shooter in the Rocket-Propelled Grenade attack on the Punjab Police headquarters at Mohali in May 2022.

The accused has been identified as Deepak Ranga.

Ranga is a close associate of Canada based gangster turned terrorist Lakhbir Singh Sandhu alias Landa. He is also closely associated with Pakistan-based gangster turned terrorist Harvinder Singh Sandhu alias Rinda.

Apart from his involvement in the RPG attack, Ranga has also been involved in a number of other violent terrorist and criminal acts including violent killings. He has also been receiving funds and logistic support from Landa and Rinda, the NIA said.

In the initial stages of the probe the agencies had said that the attack was the handiwork of pro-Khalistan outfit, Babbar Khalsa and the ISI.

The police had also arrested Jagdeep Kang, Kanwar Bath, Baljit Lair, Anantdeep Singh Sonu and Baljinder Singh.

The pro-Khalistan elements have become a concern for the security agencies. The biggest headache is from the Sikhs for Justice, which has become the propaganda arm working on foreign soil. This outfit has a strong presence online and has been able to radicalise several persons to fight against the government of India.

Even in the RPG case, plenty of funds have been channelised. The NIA too launched a probe into the source of the funding.

In the RPG attack the agencies had long back identified Landa as the mastermind. He has been living in Canada since 2017 and is a close associate of Wadhwa Singh and the ISI.

This is however not for the first time that a foreign link to attacks in Punjab have cropped up. Even in the Ludhiana blast case, a foreign link had emerged. An official explained to OneIndia that persons like Landa have taken shelter in countries such as Canada. They are fed with funds by the ISI which in turn is channelised to groups such as the Sikhs for Justice. The SJF, a proscribed outfit headed by terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun has been instrumental in calling for Khalistan referendums and spreading the Khalistan ideology in India and many foreign countries.