Amid the renewed focus on the Khalistani terrorists and their expanding arc of terror syndicate following the Indo-Canada diplomatic row, intelligence reports have flagged the increasing footprint of Canada-based gangster-turned-terrorist Lakhbir Singh alias Landa who has been jacking up terror activities in Punjab via an additional operational base in Portugal.
Backed by the notorious Pakistani spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Landa has been engaged in gunrunning from Pakistan to Punjab.
Besides Canada, Portugal has emerged as a key operational base of Landa where a number of his cohorts are based and directing the terror operations against India.
Landa is the mastermind behind the RPG attack at the Intelligence Headquarters of Punjab police in Mohali on May 9, 2022 and at police station Sarhali Kalan in Tarn Taran on December 10, 2022.
“Lakhbir Singh alias Landa has been deploying his foreign based associates for retrieving and disposing off consignments consisting of firearms, explosives and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) smuggled from Pakistan in collaboration with Pak ISI, into Punjab and carrying terror activities through their local contacts,” reads a recent intelligence report.
The report further said, “It has been discerned that Portugal has emerged as an important operational base of Landa’s criminal network as some of his key associates have established themselves in Portugal from where they exercise control over the criminal syndicate.”
One of Landa’s foreign based associates, Parminder Singh alias Pattu has emerged as a key member of Landa’s criminal network, who is residing illegally on tourist visa in Portugal. Parminder Singh, son of Tarlochan Singh, is a resident of Baghelewala village in Ferozepur district of Punjab.
“It came to notice that recently he (Parminder Singh alias Pattu) arranged one AK-47 assault rifle, one MP-5 submachine gun, hand grenades, pistols along with live cartridges for the use of criminal syndicate in Punjab through his contacts in Pakistan,” the report highlighted.
On Wednesday, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted multi-State searches following a similar intelligence input against another gangster and Landa’s associate Lawrence Bishnoi, a criminal mastermind with a notorious track record. Bishnoi has been linked to several high-profile crimes, including the murder of renowned Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala and for issuing threats against Bollywood actor Salman Khan.
Recent intelligence inputs warned of an alarming trend in Bishnoi’s illicit activities who has established a direct line of communication with Nasir Khan, an ISI operative.
“The connection suggests that Bishnoi and his gang might be diversifying their criminal portfolio by procuring weapons with the help of Pakistan Intelligence Operatives (PIOs) and making use of these weapons for furthering gangster activities in the region, “ reads the Intelligence report.
Bishnoi’s gang is notorious for involvement in extortion and killings but the recent revelation of links with Pakistan-based entities suggests a “strategic shift in the gang’s operational focus.”
“The gang’s involvement in arms smuggling represents a significant escalation in their criminal activities and poses a considerable risk to the nation’s security. The potential backing by Pak ISI operatives also indicates a concerning overlap between organized crimes and geopolitical adversaries, enhancing the threat profile of Bishnoi’s operations,” warned the report.
