In a move to disrupt terror financing networks, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has frozen the property of a key operative linked to the deadly 2021 Punjab motorcycle blast case.
Surat Singh, a resident of Mahatam Nagar village in Fazilka district, is among nine individuals chargesheeted by the NIA for their involvement in the attack. The blast, which killed the bomb carrier, was allegedly orchestrated with the help of Pakistan-based operative Habib Khan, alias Doctor, and Lakhveer Singh Rode, a designated Khalistani terrorist.
The NIA has connected the case to not only explosives but also drug and weapon smuggling under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) Act 1985. This suggests a wider network potentially financing terror activities through narcotics and weapons trade.
"This action by the NIA strikes a blow against those who seek to spread violence and instability in Punjab. By freezing Surat Singh's assets, we are disrupting the flow of funds that could be used to support future terrorist attacks," said an NIA spokesperson.
According to the news agency PTI report, on directions of Rode, narco-terror operative Habib Khan radicalised and recruited Balwinder Singh and Sukhwinder Singh and motivated them to plant bombs using pre-assembled Improvised Explosive Devices (Tiffin Bombs) smuggled along with Heroin from across the border, according to the statement.