 "Who is Harpreet Singh, aka Happy Passia, Khalistan terrorist, likely to be extradited to India?")
A Khalistani terrorist arrested in the US in April is set to be brought to India.
Harpreet Singh, aka Happy Passia, is set to be repatriated to India shortly.
Passia is wanted for several terror, extortion and violence-related cases in India.
He has been in custody of the US authorities for the past few months.
Who is Passia, who is on the National Investigation Agency’s list of ‘most wanted’ suspects? What do we know about him?
Let’s take a closer look:
Who is Passia?
Passia is a resident of Amritsar’s Pachhia village.
He hails from a family of farmers. His father has passed away.
His other immediate relatives are a mother and a younger sister.
Passia is wanted in over a dozen cases including under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), Arms Act, and Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Passia has been linked to at least 14 grenade attac
His criminal career began with the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gang.
Passia later linked up with the Pakistan-based Harwinder Singh Rinda, who is part of the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) terror group.
The BKI is a proscribed terror group in India.
Passia left for Dubai in April 2018 and returned to India in February 2019.
He then headed to the United Kingdom in 2020 – from where he went to the United States.
He is said to have entered the US via the Mexico border using an illegal human trafficking network.
From September to October 2023, Passia and Rindra carried out several extortion and terror acts in Punjab.
They would attempt to extort contractors and businessmen in Batala and Amritsar.
The state police has smashed many terror and criminal modules from the Passia-Rinda group.
These were targeting Hindu groups and their leaders, policemen who are on the force and have retired, liquor contracts and businessmen.
They would use the money they extorted to fund terror activities.Between late 2024 and early 2025 the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) carried out over a dozen attacks in Punjab.
This included placing an Improvised Explosive Device under Ajnala police station in November 2024 and an attack on the Qila Lal Singh police station in Gurdaspur.
The home of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Manoranjan Kalia was also targeted.
The attacks were carried out by Passia alongside Rinda’s US-based connections – Gurdev Singh alias Jaisal Pehalwan, Gurpreet Singh alias Gopi Nawansharia and Germany-based Swaran Singh alias Jeevan Faujia.
The network is said to have targeted minors suffering from drug addictions to carry out terror attacks.
A 17-year-old is said to have planted the IED at Ajnala police station after being lured with drugs and cash.
The NIA in January 2025 announced a Rs 5 lakh award for any information on Passia.
A Blue Corner notice was issued against Passia in January.
A Red Corner notice is currently in progress.
This was for his alleged role in a grenade attack on the home of a retired police office in Chandigarh in September 2024.
The NIA referred to Passia and Rinda as “terrorists” and the “primary handlers and masterminds behind the attack”.
“They had provided logistical support, terror funds, weapons and ammunition to India-based on-ground operatives in Chandigarh for executing the grenade attack,” it said.
“Investigations revealed that Rinda, along with Happy Passia, had orchestrated the conspiracy to strike terror among law enforcement officials and the general public through the grenade attack, as part of the broader aim to promote BKI’s terrorist agenda. They had recruited local operatives, namely Rohan Masih and Vishal Masih, who were tasked with carrying out the attack under their direct instructions,” the agency said.
Evasion and arrest
Passia is said to have used several burner phones to evade capture by the authorities.
He was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in Sacramento.
The FBI described him on X as an “alleged terrorist responsible for terror attacks in Punjab, India”.
FBI director Kash Patel in April had vowed that justice would be done.
“Captured Harpeet Singh, part of an alleged foreign terrorist gang here illegally in the United States, who we believe was involved in planning multiple attacks on police stations both in India and the United States,” Patel wrote on X.
“FBI Sacramento conducted the investigation coordinating with our partners locally as well as in India. Excellent work from all, and justice will be done. The FBI will continue finding those who perpetrate violence — no matter where they are,” Patel added.
With inputs from agencies
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