Mohali RPG blast: Canada-based gangster Lakhbir Landa faces 20 cases

PK Jaiswar

Amritsar, May 13

Notorious gangster Lakhbir Singh Landa, the key conspirator of the May 9 RPG blast at the state intelligence office in Mohali, is currently facing around 20 criminal cases, including those of murder, attempted murder and under the NDPS Act.

Police had sought red corner notice

• Lakhbir Singh Landa of Harike in Tarn Taran fled to Canada in 2017 despite facing murder, attempted murder and NDPS cases
• After his name figured in murder of two Akali workers in Patti last year, the police wrote to Centre for a red corner circular
• He had links with international drug cartel busted by the Canadian police last year.

Despite this, he managed to escape to the foreign shores in 2017, raising a question mark on the efficacy of intelligence agencies. He was reportedly sponsored by his sister living in Canada. Originally hailing from the Harike area in Tarn Taran district, his name had also figured as a key conspirator in the killing of two Akali workers in Patti last year.

Soon after the incident, the Tarn Taran police had written to the Centre for issuing a red corner circular against him and for extradition. With his name repeatedly cropping up in extortion rackets, the police had urged the Centre to speed up the process. It had also written to the CBI for taking up the matter with Interpol.

According to police sources, Landa had allegedly developed links with the international drug cartel busted by the Canadian police during the yearlong operation in April last year. Of the 30 persons arrested, most were of Punjab origin. Many of them belonged to the Makhu area of Ferozepur. In his social media post in October last year, Landa had threatened cops against ‘harassing’ his family members or relatives.

He was allegedly running an extortion racket from foreign shores. This came to light when the Amritsar rural police, in a joint operation with Organised Crime Control Unit, arrested his accomplice gangster Daya Singh, alias Preet Sekhon, in July 2021. He had told the police that he had extorted money from over 20 persons at Landa’s behest.

However, in a majority of cases, the victims did not lodge a complaint over safety reasons. The Tarn Taran police had registered several cases of extortion against him.