Terrorist Attack During Mahakumbh Foiled; Accused Has ISI Links, Say UP Police

Lucknow: An ‘active terrorist’ of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), who allegedly has ties with Pakistan’s ISI, was arrested in Uttar Pradesh’s Kaushambi district on Thursday.

The terror accused, identified as Lajar Masih, was nabbed early on Thursday in a joint operation carried out by Uttar Pradesh STF and Punjab Police.

According to UP’s Director General of Police (DGP) Prashant Kumar, Masih planned to carry out a terror attack at the recently-concluded Mahakumbh Mela in Prayagraj.

“However, due to intensive security checks at the religious gathering, he failed to execute his plan,” the DGP said.

“Following the failed attempt, Masih had intended to flee India using a fake passport and take refuge in Portugal. He had links with a Babbar Khalsa operative who had already escaped to Dubai with forged travel documents,” the DGP told PTI.

A native of Amritsar’s Kurlian village, Masih allegedly worked for Swarn Singh alias Jeevan Fauji, the head of the Germany-based module of BKI.

He was previously jailed for arms and heroin smuggling. He managed to escape from Amritsar’s Guru Nanak Dev Hospital on September 24, 2024, while undergoing treatment, the DGP said.

“After his escape, he carried out a targeted shooting in Batala, Punjab, on October 23, 2024, at the behest of Swaran Singh alias Jeevan Fauji, the German-based chief of a BKI module. He then went into hiding in Sonipat and Delhi before resurfacing in Uttar Pradesh,” the senior police official said.

The DGP said the arrest of the terrorist also verifies smuggling of arms and drugs from Pakistan into India with the use of drones.

Probe has revealed that Masih had been supplying grenades, which were referred to as ‘potatoes’ in code language, to BKI operatives who were involved in attacks on police checkpoints in Punjab.

Masih was also in contact with Viresh Singh alias Ravi, a terrorist killed recently in an encounter in Pilibhit.