BKI Initiates Major Recruitment Drive Of Drug Smugglers And Hardcore Criminals For Terror Activities: NIA

New Delhi: Investigation conducted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has revealed that the Pakistan-backed Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) has initiated a major recruitment drive of drug smugglers as well as hardcore criminals connected with the underworld by offering them money and arms and ammunition.

The latest initiative of recruitment by the Khalistani terrorist group has come to the fore following interrogations of several arrested BKI members and sympathizers.

“The terrorist organisation has targeted Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to carry out the recruitment drive,” a senior official aware of the development told ETV Bharat on Friday.

Recent investigations conducted over terror activities in India have revealed that terrorist organizations got involved in drug business prompting several banned organisations to recruit those people already engaged in drug trafficking.

“Several gullible youths become attracted towards easy money-making businesses. Taking advantage of the situation, the terrorist outfits kept targeting those youths for terror activities,” the official said.

BKI has been engaged in a criminal conspiracy to recruit and train India-based associates, and to provide funds, weapons and explosives to the field operatives of the terror outfit through their associates and acquaintances based abroad, including in Pakistan. The conspiracy is aimed at carrying out large-scale terror acts on Indian soil, the official said.

It is worth mentioning that the NIA conducted search operations in multiple locations linked with the Babbar Khalsa International in Punjab and Haryana on Thursday.

“BKI’s operatives, based in various countries, were engaged in a criminal conspiracy to recruit and train India-based associates and provide funds, weapons and explosives to the field operatives of the terror outfit. These activities were being carried out through their associates and acquaintances, also based abroad, including in Pakistan. The conspiracy by the foreign-based designated terrorists and handlers was aimed at carrying out terror acts on Indian soil,” the NIA investigation revealed.

The activities of the Babbar Khalsa International has witnessed a sharp increase not only in Punjab but also in neighbouring Haryana as well.

The federal agency, last month, searched as many as 15 locations in Punjab, in connection with the grenade attack on a police station in Gurdaspur district in December last year.

The Babbar Khalsa International is a Khalistani militant organisation that aims to create an independent Khalistan in the Punjab region.

Designated as a terrorist organization, the BKI is banned in India. The BKI has been banned by several other countries including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Japan, and Malaysia.

The NIA has kept several suspects linked with US-based BKI operative and gangster Harpreet Singh alias Happy Passian and his nodes Shamsher Singh Shera alias Honey along with others based in various countries on its radar.

Talking about the development, renowned security expert Brigadier B Khanna (retd) said that the government of India has adopted zero tolerance against drugs and terrorism.

“With zero tolerance approach, India’s investigative agencies have started taking strong actions against those who get involved in terrorism and drug trafficking. And terrorist organisations like the BKI, Lashkar e Taiba have been using the drug business to continue terrorism,” said Brigadier Khanna.

Quite often, India’s border guarding agencies especially in the Punjab and J&K sector seize and detect drugs, arms and ammunition coming from across the border.