1 week ago
11
NEW DELHI: National Investigation Agency (
NIA
) has arrested a key accused involved in last year’s violent attack on
Indian high commission
in London. The suspect — identified as
Inderpal Singh Gaba
, a resident of Hounslow in the United Kingdom — was arrested upon arrival in Delhi on the basis of a look-out circular issued against him earlier.
The development is significant given the agency, in a first, has arrested a British resident for a crime that happened under the UK’s jurisdiction.
“While the move affirms the growing coordination between law enforcement agencies of both countries, it is also being considered a major deterrent that will ensure there is no repeat of such breach of security, disrespect to the Indian flag or any threat to Indian interests abroad,” said a senior officer.
NIA’s investigation in the case so far has revealed that the incidents in London on March 19 and 22, 2023, were parts of a larger conspiracy to unleash vicious attacks on Indian missions and its officials.
The attacks were found to be in retaliation to the action taken by Punjab Police against pro-Khalistan separatist Amritpal Singh, who was arrested in March last year. Govt had taken strong objection to the developments and summoned the senior-most diplomat in UK high commission in London and demanded an explanation on the absence of security.
The high commission was attacked by a group of 50 persons, who committed criminal trespass, disrespected the Indian flag, damaged public property and caused injuries to officials at the high commission.
The attack was allegedly organised by Gurcharan Singh, Dal Khalsa, UK; Avtar Singh Khanda of KLF, Jasvir Singh and their associates, both Indian and foreign nationals, who were identified during the probe.
An NIA team visited the UK in May 2023 to probe the attack. Subsequently, a crowdsourcing of information was also carried out to identify and collect information about the UK-based entities and individuals involved in the incident, based on which the agency identified many of the attackers. Around a dozen lookout circulars were issued, and a manhunt was initiated.
Last August, NIA had raided 31 locations in Punjab and Haryana to “unravel and unearth full contours of the conspiracy” behind the March attack. In Oct, UK’s Metropolitan Police had arrested a suspect, whose identity was not revealed, and was later released on bail.
NIA had earlier said it was leaving no stone unturned to pinpoint culpability in the London attack and arrest the perpetrators, their associates and their supporters, based in India and abroad. The raids had also led to the seizure of digital data containing information related to the accused persons involved in the attack.
English (US) ·