NEW DELHI: India has secured the deportation of wanted accused Harwinder Kumar from the United Arab Emirates(UAE) in connection with the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Vikas Prabhakar. The heinous crime took place in Punjab’s Nangal in 2024, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said on September 30, Thursday.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested Harwinder alias Sonu Barnala soon after his deportation from the UAE at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on Thursday in connection with the targeted killing of Prabhakar. He was subsequently produced before the Special NIA Court for further legal proceedings.
According to the MHA, Prabhakar was shot dead by the operatives of the terror organisation Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) in an attempt to create communal unrest, at the behest of its Pakistan-based chief Wadhawa Singh, alias Babbar.
According to the NIA investigation, the conspiracy to eliminate Prabhakar was hatched by Germany-based BKI operatives Harjit Singh, alias Laddi, and Kulbeer Singh, alias Sidhu. The agency said that Harwinder, while operating from the UAE, acted as a logistics provider and financier for BKI operatives based abroad.
Harwinder acted as a recruiter and handler, arranged weapons and facilitated their delivery to the shooters involved in the killing of Prabhakar. He also received and transferred terror funds in connection with the conspiracy, acting on the directions of Harjit Singh and Kulbeer Singh.
A Red Corner Notice (RCN) was issued against Harwinder, who was based in the UAE, on April 17, 2026. “Following a request from Indian agencies on June 19, 2026, the UAE authorities handed him over to India”, the MHA said in a statement. The MHA also said it has launched the PRAHAAR initiative, under which the deportation of terrorists to India has been expedited.
The NIA said that Harwinder was involved in providing logistical support and financing to the perpetrators and had been wanted by the anti-terror agency. The case, registered as RC-06/2024/NIA/DLI, pertains to the targeted killing of Prabhakar by members of the proscribed terrorist organisation BKI. The NIA registered the case on May 9, 2024, and has so far filed three chargesheets in the matter.
The latest arrest follows the arrest of another UAE-based accused, Manveer Ram, on August 13, 2026. Ram was allegedly involved in supplying weapons used in the crime and was intercepted at Amritsar Airport before being arrested by the NIA.
The deportation of Harwinder Kumar from the UAE and his subsequent arrest by the NIA demonstrate the agency’s resolve to pursue fugitives involved in terrorism cases and bring them back to India to face the due process of law. The development is also the result of coordinated efforts of the various agencies involved in facilitating the return of fugitives to India.
(With Inputs from ANI)
