New Delhi [India]: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday arrested Kashmir Singh Galwaddi, a major Khalistani operative linked with foreign-based terrorist Harwinder Singh Sandhu alias Rinda of Babbar Khalsa. Galwaddi, a hardened criminal who escaped from Nabha jail in 2016, was apprehended in Motihari, Bihar, in coordination with local police.
According to the NIA, Galwaddi had been actively involved with designated Khalistani terrorists, including Rinda, since his escape from prison. He played a critical role as a key member of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and Rinda’s terror network operating out of Nepal.
Galwaddi was declared a proclaimed offender in an NIA case related to a Khalistani terror conspiracy. His responsibilities included harboring terrorists, arranging logistics and finances, and facilitating cross-border support for Khalistani operatives.
“These aides had escaped to Nepal after carrying out various terror activities in India, including the RPG attack at the Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters,” the NIA said.
The NIA had registered the case suo moto in August 2022 to investigate the terror activities of leaders and members of banned groups like Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF), and International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF).
“Investigations had exposed a terror-criminal nexus, suggesting that these terror groups, along with organised criminal gangs were engaged in smuggling terrorist hardware, such as arms, ammunition explosive, IEDs etc from across the border to carry out terror activities in various parts of the country,” the anti-terror agency said in a statement.
In addition to declaring Galwaddi a proclaimed offender, the NIA Special Court had issued multiple non-bailable arrest warrants against him. A cash reward of ₹10 lakh had also been announced for information leading to his capture.
As part of ongoing investigations, the NIA had previously filed a chargesheet in July 2023 against nine individuals, including Rinda and Landa, in the same case. Two supplementary chargesheets were filed against six others. In August 2024, the agency achieved another milestone by securing the extradition of Tarsem Singh, Landa’s brother, from the UAE and filed a third supplementary chargesheet against him in December.