The Jalandhar Police in Punjab successfully apprehended five operatives linked to Canada-based Khalistani terrorist Lakhbir Singh Landa. The arrests were made following a meticulous 15-day operation that uncovered their involvement in a range of criminal activities including arms and drug smuggling across the border, as well as serious offenses like murder and extortion.
Punjab's Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav announced the breakthrough on Sunday, highlighting the severity of their activities. "The Commissionerate Police Jalandhar has arrested five operatives of the Canada-based Lakhbir Landa gang in a major operation. These individuals were actively engaged in smuggling arms and drugs, as well as committing heinous crimes such as murder and extortion across several districts of Punjab," stated DGP Yadav. The operation yielded the recovery of five foreign-made pistols from the arrested individuals.
The DGP emphasized the Punjab Police's unwavering commitment to rooting out organized crime, aligning with directives from Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. "@PunjabPoliceInd is fully committed to eradicating organized crime in the state," added DGP Yadav.
Lakhbir Singh Landa, designated as a terrorist by the Ministry of Home Affairs in December last year, has affiliations with the Khalistani outfit Babbar Khalsa International (BKI). The 33-year-old has been implicated in serious acts of violence, including plotting a rocket attack on the Punjab Police Intelligence headquarters in Mohali in 2021 and being linked to an RPG attack on Sarhali police station in Tarn Taran in December 2022.
Originally from Punjab, Lakhbir Landa has been residing in Canada for several years, where he allegedly continued to orchestrate anti-India conspiracies.