New Delhi: Khalistani terrorist Harpreet Singh alias Happy Passia is likely to be extradited to India, claimed media reports citing sources. However, there is no official confirmation in this regard. According to reports, the Indian agencies contacted the concerned authorities in India about the extradition of Passia. He was charged in connection with a grenade attack on a police station in Punjab’s Gurdaspur district on December 12 last year.
Passia is also reportedly accused in 14 grenade attack in India. On April 17 this year, Passia was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO). According to the FBI, he used burner phones to evade capture.
After the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) operative's arrested, the FBI had shared the information on its X post. "Today, Harpreet Singh, an alleged terrorist responsible for terror attacks in Punjab, India, was arrested by the FBI and ERO in Sacramento. Linked to two international terrorist groups, he entered the U.S. illegally and used burner phones to evade capture," the FBI had said on April 17.
The arrest came after months of investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Punjab Police, who had earlier confirmed that Passia was hiding in the US. Authorities had also issued a lookout notice and sent legal notices to his residence.
Passia is a native of Ajnala tehsil in Punjab's Amritsar and has been declared an absconder in the case registered on October 1, 2024. He is wanted in 17 criminal cases. He has charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), Narcotics Act and Arms Act.
Passia is a close associate of Pakistan-based gangster-turned-terrorist Harvinder Singh Sandhu alias Rinda. He has reportedly been involved in several terrorist activities in Punjab and has tied with Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and banned Khalistani terrorist group BKI.
The NIA announced a bounty of Rs five lakh against Passia in the recent case of the hand grenade attack on a house in Chandigarh. The attack, carried out on a residence in Sector 10/D in Chandigarh, falls under multiple charges, including sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Explosive Substances Act, and Indian Penal Code.
On March 23, the NIA chargesheeted four terror operatives of the BKI terrorist organisation in the 2024 Chandigarh grenade attack case.
