In a major breakthrough, the Delhi Police Crime Branch arrested Gursevak Singh Babla, a 51-year-old alleged member of the Khalistan Commando Force (KCF) from South Delhi’s Mahipalpur area on Monday evening. Police said that the militant has been remanded for two day police custody. “Babla came to Delhi with the intention of setting a network among the Delhi criminals. He wanted to make money through armed robberies. Since he was running out of funds provided by the ISI, Babla along with his associates wanted to revive the KCF in Delhi as a centre,” said a senior police official.
Wanted in nearly 100 cases related to terrorism, murder, armed robbery etc, Gursewak Singh Babla was wanted in a case of Delhi Police where he had escaped police custody from the Tis Hazari Courts in 2004. Following which, a case was registered at the Subzi Mandi police station and a week later, he was arrested by the Punjab Police.
In light of his escape from the police custody in Delhi, the Special Cell was tasked with finding him out. He was also declared a proclaimed offender by the court.
lodged in the High risk prisoners ward in Tihar Jail from 1998 till 2004, it was Crime Branch which had unearthed the plans of Babla who had got in touch with their counterparts in Pakistan who were planning terror attacks in the national Capital. The Crime Branch team had recovered 18 kgs RDX, one AK-47 with 100 cartridges, two pistols with 5 magazines and 130 cartridges, 8 hand grenades with 10 fuses, 4 ABCD timers with batteries and detonators from their possession. Gursewak Singh was one of the two persons arrested by the Punjabi Bagh police.
Police said that Babla disclosed that the notorious Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistani used to provide their group huge amount of drugs and fake Indian currency notes for circulation in lieu of anti-national activities being run by them.
It has been revealed that Babla was in constant touch with Paramjeet Singh Panjwar, chief of Khalistaan Commando Force (KCF), who is currently in Pakistan. Babla was in regular touch with Paramjeet Singh Panjwad, former KCF Chief Jagtar Singh Hawara and other dreaded militants of Punjab and was planning to reconstitute the group on the instructions of Paramjeet Singh Panjwad.
Praveer Ranjan, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) said, “On March 20, our sleuths received a secret information that Gursewak Singh Babla who has been declared as a Proclaimed Offender, armed with weapons will come near the Shiv Murti, Mahipalpur in the evening.
Following this tip off, a team led by DCP Bhisham Singh laid a trap at the NH8 and at around 7.30pm in the evening, accused Babla was apprehended by the Crime Branch team. One loaded 0.324 pistol with 4 live cartridges was recovered from his possession, said police on Tuesday.
Babla had joined Khalistan Commando Force (KCF) headed by the dreaded militant Manveer Singh Chehdu. Under the patronage of the group, Gursewak along with several other people committed murders of suspected informers of the Indian Security agencies and also robbed banks across Delhi, Punjab and Rjasthan.
In 1984, Babla along with dreaded militants labh Singh, Gurinder Singh and Swaranjit Singh murdered Ramesh Chnader, the group editor of Hind Samachar newspaper in Jallandhar who was an outspoken critic of Jarnail Singh Bhinderawala.
“In 1985, while being taken from the police custody at Bhilwada Railway Station, he was being produced in the Jaipur court.
In 1986, Gursewak along with three other people were involved in the brutal murder of a group editor of a newspaper in Jalandhar and also in the attempt to murder case of the ex-DGP of Punjab Julio Riberio at his residence in Jalandhar in order to take revenge of police action against militant groups.
In the same year, Babla along with his associates killed eight police personnel of Punjab Police while freeing the KCF Chief Jarnal labh Singh and dreaded militants Gurinder Pal Singh Bhola and Swaranjit Singh from police custody in court complex, Jallandhar after a fierce shootout.
Praveer Ranjan, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) said, “Gursewak was an active member of the KCF during the 1980s when militancy was at its peak in Punjab. He has been involved in more than 50 cases related to terrorism, murder etc.