National Investigation Agency (NIA) Special Court in Punjab has ordered the confiscation of land belonging to ‘Designated Individual Terrorist (DIT)’ and Pakistan-based Khalistani terrorist Lakhbir Singh, alias Rode, the NIA said on October 11.
The special court in SAS Nagar, Mohali ordered to confiscation of the land situated in Kothe Gurupura (Rode) village in Moga district of Punjab previously owned by Rode, the self-styled Chief of banned terror outfits International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) and Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) Lakhbir Singh.
The court order stems from case (RC-24/2021/NIA/DLI) dated October 1, 2021, which pertains to multiple charges, including Sections 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the Explosive Substances Act 1908, Section 16, 17, 18, 18B, 20, 38 & 39 of Unlawful Activities (P) Act 1967, Section 21B, 27A, 29 of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act 1985, and Section 120B of Indian Penal Code.
Originally registered on September 16, 2021, under Sections 3 and 4 of the Explosive Substances Act at City Jalalabad Police Station in Punjab, the NIA said, this case involves a tiffin bomb blast that occurred on September 15, 2021, around 7.57 pm near Punjab National Bank in Jalalabad town of Punjab’s Fazilka district.
“The investigations revealed that Lakhbir Singh, Pakistan-based self-styled Chief of proscribed terrorist organizations, ISYF and KLF, masterminded the whole conspiracy,” said the NIA. “Working in collusion with his Pakistan-based ‘masters’, Lakhbir Singh played a key role in sending consignments of terrorist hardware, including arms, ammunition, custom-made tiffin bombs, grenades, explosives as well as drugs, to carry out terrorist acts, particularly bomb blasts, to instil fear and terror among the people of Punjab.”
Rode, a ‘listed individual terrorist’, under the UAPA fled to Pakistan around 1996/97, said the anti-terror agency.
The NIA said it is investigating six cases against Rode for his active involvement in terror-related activities between 2021-2023 as he stands accused of engaging in a wide array of terror activities.
“His (Rode’s) criminal dossier includes armed attacks on law enforcement personnel, orchestrating IED and bomb blasts, targeted killings of members of the minority community, extortion, fundraising for terrorist operations, and instilling terror among the general populace. To date, a total of nine accused individuals, among them Lakhbir Singh, have been formally charged in this case. The investigation in this case remains open,” added the NIA.
(with inputs from ANI)
