Chandigarh, Sep 18 (IANS): Hardcore Khalistani militant Rattandeep Singh has been arrested from the outskirts of Gorakhpur in eastern Uttar Pradesh, where he was likely to target a top Hindu leader, Punjab Police said Thursday.
In an operation conducted by a 19-member team of Punjab Police's State Special Operations Cell (SSOC) with a central agency Wednesday, Rattandeep Singh, a top operative of the Bhindranwale Tiger Force of Khalistan (BTFK), was nabbed from Gorakhpur, a police spokesman sai.
He carried a reward of Rs.10 lakh on his head.
Preliminary interrogation of the terrorist revealed that he had come to India to target a prominent Hindu leader who enjoys security from the Punjab Police.
Police found him carrying a Pakistani passport and identity card in the name of Hussain Sheikh Zahid and some Pakistani and Indian currency.
Rattandeep, who was based in Pakistan since 1993, had been coming to India to carry out terrorist strikes. "He had recently re-entered the country to carry out a major strike," the spokesman said.
The militant was earlier a top operative of the Sikh separatist group Khalistan Commando Force (KCF). Later he joined terrorist outfit Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and became its operational head.
"In July this year, the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan revived the BTFK. At that time Col.Sahbaz Minhas of the ISI had joint meetings with Wadhawa Singh (BKI) and Rattandeep Singh to effect the new arrangement. The ISI picked up Rattandeep Singh to head the BTFK," the spokesman said.
"As the new head of the revived BTFK, Rattandeep Singh sneaked into India to carry out violent terrorist strikes so that revival of the BTFK could come to centrestage. It was decided by the ISI that time is ripe for spectacular terrorist action in Punjab as the festival season has begun and the impact of such strikes would be optimal," he added.
In recent years, the Punjab Police have foiled attempts by some groups linked to terror outfits to revive terrorism in the state, which had witnessed a prolonged period of terrorism from 1981 to 1992.
"Rattandeep Singh was the kingpin of a group of militants who had planted explosives in a vehicle in Amritsar near Circuit House in May 2010 and for that purpose, he had smuggled in a consignment of weapons and explosives from across the border (Pakistan)," the spokesman said.
With the arrest of Rattandeep Singh, all the operatives of the terrorist gang involved in the plan have been arrested.
Rattandeep Singh is wanted in several militant offences in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh.
"He is wanted in connection with a bomb blast at Passport Office, Sector 34, Chandigarh (1999), bomb blast on railway bridge in Panipat (1999), planting of an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) on the railway track at the Shahabad-Markanda bridge (1998), gunfight with police and escape from custody (1999) and recovery of arms and explosives in district Jind in (1996 and 2000)," the spokesman said.
Hailing from Rohar village in Haryana's Jind district, Rattandeep Singh went to Bangkok in 1992. From there, he went to Germany in May 1992 and shifted to Belgium in September 1992. He went to Pakistan in March 1993 on a forged passport. He underwent arms training twice in August 1993 and June 1994 in a camp located in hilly terrain about 45 kms from Islamabad, the spokesman said.
Rattandeep Singh was arrested May 9, 1996, while sneaking into India through the Samba sector in Jammu and Kashmir. He escaped from custody in 1999, masterminded the bomb blast at Sector 34, Chandigarh, on June 30, 1999, and subsequently escaped to Pakistan.