The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has confiscated a property linked to Pakistan-based designated “individual terrorist” Lakhbir Singh, alias Rode, in Punjab.
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Rode allegedly heads the banned terrorist outfits named the Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) and the International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF).
The confiscated land, previously owned by Rode, is located in Kothe Gurupura village of Punjab’s Moga district. The NIA confiscated it after securing an order from the Mohali special court.
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The court order pertains to a case registered by the NIA on October 1, 2021, involving multiple charges under the Explosive Substances Act, Indian Penal Code, Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
‘Sent arms, bombs to Punjab’
The case was originally registered by the Jalalabad police (Punjab) on September 16, 2021, to probe a tiffin bomb blast near a Punjab National Bank branch.
According to the NIA, it found that Rode had masterminded the terror attack. Working in collusion with his Pakistan-based handlers, he played a key role in sending consignments of arms, ammunition, custom-made tiffin bombs, grenades and explosives, as well as drugs, to carry out terrorist acts in the State.
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At least 20 such consignments were sent to Punjab using drones operated from across the border in Pakistan.
Rode had fled to Pakistan around 1996-97. The NIA is investigating six cases against him for his alleged active involvement in terror-related activities between 2021 and 2023. He was designated an “individual terrorist“ under the UAPA by the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2021.
“He stands accused of engaging in a wide array of terror activities. His criminal dossier includes armed attacks on law enforcement personnel, orchestrating IED (improvised explosive device) and bomb blasts, targeted killings of members of a minority community, extortion, fundraising for terrorist operations, and instilling terror among the general populace,” said the NIA on Wednesday.
The agency has so far filed chargesheets against nine accused persons, including Rode, in the case.