Mohali Blast: Police Arrest 5, Name Lakhbir Singh Landa as Key Conspirator

Lakhbir Singh Landa was a gangster who relocated to Canada in 2017, said police.

A blast was reported outside Punjab Police's intelligence headquarters in Mohali on Monday evening, 9 May.

(Photo: The Quint)

The Mohali Police on Friday, 13 May, arrested five people for their alleged involvement in the firing of a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) at the Punjab Police's intelligence headquarters in Mohali earlier this week, PTI reported.

The arrested persons allegedly provided weapons, logistical support, and shelter to the perpetrators of the attack, said Director General of Police VK Bhawra.

The key conspirator of the blast is Tarn Taran resident Lakhbir Singh Landa, a gangster who relocated to Canada in 2017, Punjab DGP VK Bhawra said on Friday.

"He is a close associate of Harvinder Singh alias Rinda, who is in close proximity to Wadhawa Singh, and a part Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agent who operated from Pakistan," the DGP added.

The RPG was fired at the third floor of the highly-guarded building in Mohali's Sector 77 on Monday evening, leading to a minor blast. It had shattered the glass of the intelligence headquarters. However, the grenade did not explode and the area was then cordoned off.

What Else Did the DGP Say?

Naming Nishan Singh as one of the associates of the accused, the DGP added that he was arrested a few days ago.

"We can see that it was done together by Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) gangster with the backing of Pakistan ISI. One of the main associates of Landa is Nishan Singh. He too is a resident of Tarn Taran," the DGP said, saying that he provided shelter to Landa.

Another associate named was Charad Singh, who is also from the Tarn Taran district.

"Nishan Singh had provided shelter to the (two) accused in his house and in two of his contacts' houses. He had handed over RPG to the accused and is involved in about a dozen of cases," he stated, according to ANI.

He stated, "Besides Nishan and his two contacts, one Baljinder Rambo also involved. He is also from Tarn Taran district- an AK-47 retrieved from him."

AAP MP Raghav Chadha Congratulates Punjab Police on 'Cracking' the Case

Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Raghav Chadha congratulated the Punjab Police for "cracking the case" within four days.

"I congratulate Punjab Police for cracking the Mohali RPG case within four days, identifying the accused and mastermind and arresting everyone who assisted in executing this," Chadha said, as per ANI.

The AAP leader added that law and order were the utmost priority of the Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government.

Chadha also said that the Punjab government had worked to put a "full stop to gangster raj," claiming that 100 gangsters had been arrested and 80 weapons confiscated in the state since 5 April.

Background

On Tuesday, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said that the police were investigating the blast in Mohali and "whoever tried to spoil the atmosphere of our Punjab will not be spared."

Meanwhile, a red alert was issued for Amritsar, and security was tightened in the border city.

Suspecting the blast to be a terror attack, a Delhi Police Special Cell team reached Mohali the next day to understand how the building of the Punjab Police was targeted.

"It is for the first time that an RPG has been used in an attack in the state. It requires training and cannot be launched by an amateur," a police source was quoted as saying.

(With inputs from PTI and ANI.)