COPS NAB WANTED KCF MILITANT
On the instruction of his handlers in Pakistan, 51-year-old Gursewak Singh, alias Babla, was trying to reconstitute his terror group before he was nabbed
NEW DELHI: An absconding member of Khalistaan Commando Force (KCF) was arrested by the Crime Branch, Delhi Police officials said on Tuesday.
The accused had spent 26 years in prison owing to his involvement in over 50 cases of terror activities, murder charges of police officials and robbery with most of the cases being registered in Punjab.
The notorious militant had dodged the cops and ran away from police custody in Delhi and Rajasthan.
On the instruction of his handlers sitting in Pakistan, the 51-year-old accused, Gursewak Singh, alias Babla, was trying to reconstitute his terror group before he was nabbed.
“In a major breakthrough, the Crime Branch has arrested a fugitive militant of terrorist organisation KCF from Mahipalpur, NH-8 and recovered one sophisticated pistol loaded with four live cartridges from his possession,” said Praveer Ranjan, Joint Commissioner of Police.
After receiving secret information that Babla would be coming near National Highway 8 on Monday, a crime team was constituted under the supervision of DCP Bhisham Singh. The team, in plain clothes, laid a trap near the place where Babla was expected to arrive and he was arrested. During interrogation, he revealed that his elder brother Swaran Singh was member of the militant group being run by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, when terrorism was at its peak in Punjab in 1980s.
It was during this period that Gursewak came in contact with Darshan Singh, a nephew of Bhindranwale. After being influenced by Bhindranwale, he too joined the terror organisation in 1982.
In 1984, Bhindranwale was killed in ‘Operation Blue Star'. Around this time, Gursewak Singh joined KCF, constituted by dreaded militant Manveer Singh Chehdu, and actively participated in anti-national activities.
“During this period, the accused along with his associates remained involved in doz- ens of murders of suspected informers of Indian security agencies and bank robberies in Punjab, Delhi and Rajasthan,” said DCP Crime Bhishm Singh. In 1986, the accused along with his associates launched an attack at the residence of Julio Riberio, former DGP, Punjab, at PAP Complex in Jalandhar.
This was purely done to take revenge for police action against militant groups.
In 1986 itself, the accused and his gang members killed eight police personnel of Punjab Police, besides freeing KCF chief Jarnal Labh Singh.
“The accused has further disclosed that the Pakistani agency ISI used to give their group huge amount of drugs and fake Indian currency notes for circulation in lieu of anti-national activities being run by them,” said Joint CP Praveer Ranjan.