In a significant counter-terrorism operation, an “active terrorist” affiliated with the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and reportedly connected to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) was apprehended in Uttar Pradesh’s Kaushambi district. The suspect, identified as Lajar Masih, had been plotting a major terror attack during the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj but failed due to heightened security measures.
Masih was arrested in a joint operation carried out by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) and Punjab Police at around 3:20 am on Thursday. Addressing a press conference, Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) Prashant Kumar disclosed that Masih had meticulously planned a large-scale terrorist attack targeting the religious congregation. However, owing to extensive security checks and vigilant surveillance, his plan could not materialize.
The Maha Kumbh, a significant religious event, was held in Prayagraj from January 13 to February 26.
Following his failed attempt, Masih intended to flee India using a fraudulent passport and seek asylum in Portugal. He was in communication with a BKI operative who had already managed to escape to Dubai using forged travel documents.
A resident of Kurlian village in Amritsar, Punjab, Masih had long-standing connections with three ISI agents based in Pakistan. Previously incarcerated for arms and heroin smuggling, he managed to escape from Guru Nanak Dev Hospital in Amritsar on September 24, 2024, while receiving medical treatment.
Following his escape, Masih was involved in a targeted shooting incident in Batala, Punjab, on October 23, 2024, allegedly on the orders of Swaran Singh, also known as Jeevan Fauji, a Germany-based chief of a BKI module. After committing the crime, he went into hiding in Sonipat and Delhi before reemerging in Uttar Pradesh.
DGP Kumar emphasized that Masih’s arrest further substantiated the growing evidence of arms and drug smuggling from Pakistan into India, facilitated through drones. Investigations revealed that Masih had been covertly supplying grenades, referred to in coded language as “potatoes,” to BKI operatives responsible for carrying out attacks on police checkpoints in Punjab. He had also maintained links with Viresh Singh, alias Ravi, a terrorist who was killed in an encounter in Pilibhit.
Authorities disclosed that Masih maintained close ties with an associate based in Ajnala, who was linked to a US-based Khalistani terrorist, as well as another operative currently in hiding in Qatar. His communications were conducted through encrypted messaging platforms, and forensic experts are now examining his mobile phone data in the STF cyber lab for further intelligence.
According to DGP Kumar, Masih had been exploiting Punjab’s drug and extortion networks to finance his terrorist activities. His links with ISI handlers were reportedly established during his incarceration in Muktsar jail, where he was introduced to key figures involved in cross-border arms and narcotics smuggling using drones.
The operation to capture Masih was executed in the Kokhraj police station area of Kaushambi, Additional Director General of Police (UP STF and Law & Order) Amitabh Yash stated. During the arrest, security forces recovered significant incriminating material, including three active hand grenades, two active detonators, a foreign-manufactured pistol, and thirteen foreign-made cartridges. Additionally, a suspicious white-colored explosive powder, an Aadhaar card bearing a Ghaziabad address, and a mobile phone without a SIM card were seized from his possession.
ADG Yash confirmed that Masih had been on the run since his daring escape from judicial custody in Punjab on September 24, 2024.
DGP Kumar hailed the arrest as a “breakthrough in counter-terror operations” and emphasized that further investigations are underway to dismantle the network of associates linked to Masih.