New Delhi, Feb 16 (IANS): The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday declared a cash reward of Rs 15 lakh on the head of Canada-based terrorist Lakhbir Singh Sandhu alias Landa, a prime accused in connection with the rocket launcher attack on Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters in Mohali in May last year.

Deepak Ranga, who had shot the rocket, was arrested by the NIA in January last week from UP's Gorakhpur.

Ranga is a close associate of Canada-based gangster-turned-terrorist Landa and Pakistan based gangster-turned-terrorist Harvinder Singh Sandhu alias Rinda.

The rocket was powerful but it rebounded after hitting the wall and no one suffered injuries nor it could damage the building. However, the incident had sent a panic wave in the state.

The NIA had registered a case suo moto on September 20, 2022 after it emerged that that terrorist outfits and terror elements based abroad were operating in tandem with leaders and members of organised criminal gangs operating in northern States of the country to commit targeted killings and violent criminal acts. It had also emerged that the terror-gangster-drug smuggler network was also engaged in smuggling terrorist hardware, such as arms, ammunition explosives, IEDs etc across border.