M A I N   N E W S

Punjabi held in Nevada for ‘aiding’ Babbar Khalsa
Gurjatinder S Randhawa

Was on Punjab Police radar The Punjab Police on Thursday said Balwinder Singh is wanted in connection with 2006 Jalandhar bomb blast case In March 2013, the police recovered six weapons from his house at Possi village in Hoshiarpur. A case of unlawful activities was registered against him at that time Balwinder is said to have aligned with Ranjeet Singh Neeta, an activist of Khalistan Zindabad Force The Punjab Police had sought Balwinder’s extradition from the US

Reno (Nevada), December 19
An Indian-American Sikh, Balwinder Singh, was arrested from his home in Nevada on Wednesday night for allegedly providing material support to terrorist groups in Punjab.

A truck driver, Balwinder Singh, alias Jhajj, alias Possi, alias Baljit Singh, was taken into custody by the FBI and the Terrorist Task Force. He is scheduled to appear before a magistrate at Reno on Friday.

Balwinder (39) is also charged with one count of making a false statement in an immigration document, two counts of use of an immigration document procured by fraud and one count of unlawful production of an identification document.

A former citizen of India, Balwinder fled to the United States and claimed asylum. He eventually obtained a permanent resident card. The indictment alleges that he is a member of two terrorist organisations — the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and the Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF).

It is alleged that Balwinder was in touch with other co-conspirators in India via telephone while he was in the United States. It is alleged that he sent money from Reno to co-conspirators in India for purchase of weapons for members of the BKI and the KZF.

Investigators were apparently tracking his calls. In January 2012, Balwinder Singh had asked an unidentified man to get big weapons and explosives from someone named “Vadde”.

In May 2012, he allegedly provided instructions to an unidentified man for making an explosive device. In August 2012, Balwinder called a co-conspirator in India “and asked him to make arrangements for someone to deliver a threatening note containing a bullet to a lawyer”. It is alleged that Balwinder travelled from the US to Pakistan, India, and other countries to meet co-conspirators and assisted them in planning terror strikes in India.

The indictment noted that he had no plans to stage attacks in the US. He sent money and offered advice to members of the two radical Sikh groups. His objective was to boost BKI and KZF operations by raising money and obtaining weapons.

It is alleged that the conspiracy began on an unknown date but not later than November 30, 1997. It is alleged Balwinder used a false identity and obtained false identification documents in the US for travelling back to India without being apprehended by Indian authorities.