Chandigarh, April 18: National Investigation Agency (NIA) charge-sheeted Harpreet Singh, accused of carrying out terror attacks in Punjab, has been arrested by the US security agencies – the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Enforcement and Removal Operations in California’s Sacramento.

The FBI said on Friday that Harpreet Singh, alias Happy Passia, entered the US illegally and used burner phones to evade capture.

Hailing from Passia village in Ajnala, the terrorist has been linked to at least 16 grenade attacks in Punjab, targeting police posts, religious sites, and residences.

On March 23, the NIA chargesheeted four terror operatives of the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) terrorist organisation in the 2024 Chandigarh grenade attack case.

The chargesheeted accused include Pakistan-based designated individual terrorist Harwinder Singh Sandhu, alias Rinda, and US-based Happy Passia.

Sandhu and Passia were the primary handlers and conspirators behind the attack. They had provided logistical support, terror funds, weapons, and ammunition to India-based on-ground operatives in Chandigarh for executing the grenade attack, said the NIA.

The September 2024 attack was intended to target a retired officer of the Punjab Police, whom the assailants believed to be the occupant of the house.

NIA investigations revealed that Rinda, along with Passia, had orchestrated the conspiracy to strike terror among law enforcement officials and the public through the grenade attack, as part of the broader aim to promote BKI’s terrorist agenda.

They had recruited local operatives, Rohan Masih and Vishal Masih, who were tasked with carrying out the attack on their direct instructions.

Rinda and Passia directed the other accused, Rohan Masih and Vishal Masih, to conduct reconnaissance on the target twice before hurling the grenade, investigations revealed.

In the chargesheet filed before the Special NIA Court in Chandigarh, all four accused have been charged under multiple sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Explosive Substances Act, and other related provisions, for their roles in planning and supporting the attack.

Investigations in the case are continuing, and the NIA is trying to track down other members of the BKI terror group and dismantle its network in India.

New Delhi, April 18: A 17-year-old boy was brutally stabbed to death in J-Block of New Seelampur in North East Delhi, said officials on Friday.

The deceased, identified as Kunal, son of Rajveer and a resident of the same area, was attacked around 7.38 p.m. on Thursday.

According to police officials, information about the stabbing incident was received at PS Seelampur soon after. Kunal was immediately rushed to JPC Hospital for medical treatment. However, despite the best efforts of doctors, he succumbed to his injuries during the course of treatment.

Following the incident, the crime team was dispatched to the spot to conduct a thorough investigation. A case has been registered at Seelampur Police Station, and multiple police teams have been deployed to identify and apprehend the assailant(s).

Senior officers are supervising the probe, and officials assured that the investigation is being conducted on a priority basis.

The motive behind the murder is yet to be established, and police are examining CCTV footage and questioning potential witnesses to get leads in the case.

Residents of New Seelampur have expressed concern over the safety in the area and have urged law enforcement agencies to take swift and strict action.

The investigation into Kunal’s murder is underway, further details are awaited.

In light of recent criminal incidents and to strengthen security in the national capital, Delhi Police have intensified its general patrolling efforts across the city. A city-wide night patrolling drive is being carried out from 11.00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. in various areas, including Defence Colony. As part of this operation, barricades were set up and checks were conducted on suspicious vehicles.

Joint Commissioner of Police Sanjay Kumar Jain said, “The general patrolling campaign is part of our regular drill. We also conducted a general patrolling campaign in March, and this one is for the month of April. During this general patrolling campaign, officers of all ranks, whether constables, inspectors, ACPs, DCPs, even Special CPs and the Commissioner of Police himself, participate and conduct checks on the roads.”

Bengaluru, April 17: Interesting details have emerged regarding the arrest of the accused in the Bengaluru molestation case of two women. Police nabbed the accused, Santosh Daniel, 10 days after the incident, in Kerala, and it has emerged that his home guard girlfriend helped him hide.

After the CCTV footage of the incident went viral, it became a major challenge for the police department to crack the case quickly.

Sources reveal that the accused was in a live-in relationship with the female home guard. Daniel had sexually harassed two young women and then escaped — later seen enjoying life in Kerala. The police have expressed shock over the home guard supporting the accused even after knowing about his act of molestation.

Sources reveal that shockingly, the molester was guided by his lover home guard on how to avoid the police after the incident.

Daniel was found having a good time at a resort in Kerala along with the female home guard at the time of arrest.

To confuse the police, the accused kept moving across four to five jurisdictional limits in Bengaluru. He used a Dio scooter and rode through the lanes of Suddguntepalya, Tilaknagar, and MICO Layout police station limits.

The police tracked his movements and launched a search operation. Just when they thought he was still in Bengaluru, he escaped to Kerala. He fled to Kerala with the female home guard from the Bellandur police station.

Though she was married and had a child, the home guard had stayed away from her husband for Daniel, according to sources. She had been in a live-in relationship with Santosh for three years. The home guard allegedly helped Daniel escape. She even accompanied him to Kerala. Initially, the couple went to Hosur, in Tamil Nadu, located close to Bengaluru.

Upon realising that the police were on their trail, they abandoned the bike in Hosur and fled to Salem. From Salem, they moved on to Kerala.

Police sources stated that the home guard had devised a master plan to avoid detection by police. She advised Daniel not to use his mobile phone. She also suggested folding the scooter’s number plate so it wouldn’t be visible.

When his movements could not be tracked, the special police teams continued their investigation in other directions. The accused, Daniel, was finally caught due to his traffic violation records. The police, who had gone through around 1,000 CCTV footage, identified him through a traffic violation.

They traced the number plate of a bike found at the crime scene, which led them to the suspect. It was the bike that eventually revealed Daniel’s identity. In the initial days of the investigation, the police traced the accused by tracking his bike.

The police sought help from the transport department during the process.

The Southeast Division police wrote to the transport department regarding the Dio scooter. They inquired about how many Dio scooters of that colour were registered in the city. With help from the transport department, the police got more clues about the accused.

Using the vehicle number, they traced Daniel’s home address. The police knocked on the door of Daniel’s house in Galburga Colony, Jayanagar. That’s when they found out that the accused was on the run. Karnataka Police arrested the accused on April 14.

Currently, Daniel is in police custody and being intensely interrogated. The police department has officially not revealed any details about the female home guard yet.

According to the police, they examined over 1,600 CCTV footage clips to track down the accused. Two special teams were formed, and based on technical leads, they searched for him in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

The investigation began based on a complaint filed by a resident, Lokesh Gowda.

A video showing two young women being targeted by the accused in the early hours in a residential locality went viral on social media. The 17-second video showed two women walking down a deserted street flanked by houses on both sides. A tall, well-built man approaches them from behind, pushes one of the women aside, sexually harasses the other, and then escapes. The video also captures the visibly shaken women standing briefly to catch their breath before quickly leaving the scene.

The incident occurred at around 2 a.m. on April 4 in the jurisdiction of the Sadduguntepalya police station. The video went viral on April 6.