IED smuggled from Pakistan: NIA
New Delhi, May 30
The National Investigation Agency today said it had filed a supplementary chargesheet against two accused, including Pakistan-based Lakhbir Singh, alias Rode, of Moga, under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in connection with Ludhiana Court Complex bomb blast case.
The NIA said the explosives used in the blast, which took place on December 23, 2021, were smuggled from Pakistan. One person was killed and six others were injured.
Harpreet Singh, alias Happy Malaysia, of Amritsar, has also been named in the chargesheet.
The NIA has accused Rode, who is reportedly in Pakistan, of smuggling the IEDs into India for explosions across Punjab. He is the chief of banned outfits Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) and International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF), the agency said, while claiming that he was the mastermind of the blast. Happy Malaysia was arrested in December 2022 from the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) in Delhi on his arrival from Malaysia.
In the chargesheet filed before the Special NIA Court, Mohali, the duo has been charged under various sections of the IPC, Explosive Substances Act and Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, besides the UAPA.
“Investigations by the NIA revealed that the IED that exploded in the Ludhiana Court Complex had been smuggled into Punjab by Rode from across the border. He had smuggled it with the help of Pakistan-based drug smugglers and their Indian associates, including Happy Malaysia,” the agency said.
The case was initially registered on December 23, 2021, by the Punjab Police and was taken over by the NIA in January 2022.
One accused heads banned outfit
- The NIA said the explosives used in the blast, which took place on December 23, 2021, were smuggled from Pakistan
- The NIA has accused Rode, who is reportedly in Pakistan, of smuggling the IEDs into India
