Bahraich: A Khalistani extremist and an US national were among five persons arrested while attempting to enter India from Nepal through the Rupaidiha border post in Uttar Pradesh.
The extremist has been identified as Vikramjit Singh, a member of the pro-Khalistan outfit ‘Waris Punjab De’. He is wanted in a 2023 attack on a police station in Punjab. The other man is Manveer Singh Dhillon, a US national who is originally from the Moga district in Punjab. He is also associated with the outfit.
Three Indian nationals — Suresh Kumar Pathak, Dilip Upadhyay, both residents of Rupaidiha town, and vehicle driver Rahul Kumar — were also arrested in a joint operation by the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and the Uttar Pradesh Police, as reported by NDTV.
‘Waris Punjab De’, was a social organisation established by late actor-turned-activist Deep Sidhu in 2021. Later, both the organisation and its members rose to notoriety in the religio-political scene of Punjab, creating an atmosphere of disquiet.
“Five people have been arrested, including two individuals who were infiltrators without valid documents and were crossing the border,” Vishwajeet Srivastava, SP, Bahraich, said.
The Punjab Police has been looking for both men in separate cases, he said.
While Vikramjit Singh had been on the run for several days, Dhillon is suspected to have entered India through Nepal without obtaining a visa to avoid coming under the scrutiny of law enforcement agencies, Srivastava said.
Their identities and alleged links to the organisation came to light during identification and questioning. The police have registered a case against both accused.
Security has been tightened along the India-Nepal border after a 36-year-old man, claiming to be a US citizen, was arrested by the SSB in the Maharajganj district of Uttar Pradesh while trying to cross over to Nepal without valid travel documents.
The man had identified himself as Jordan Brown and claimed to be a resident of California in the United States, according to authorities. He also claimed that he had served in the US Navy and Special Forces.
