The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken action against a key operative involved in the 2021 Jalalabad bike blast case in Punjab. The NIA has frozen the immovable property of Surat Singh, who is described as a “key agent in the terror network” involved in smuggling narcotics, explosives, arms, and ammunition from Pakistan. Singh is also linked to Pakistan-based weapons smuggler Habib Khan alias Doctor and Khalistani terrorist Lakhveer Singh alias Rode.
Surat Singh, along with Khan and Rode, is among the nine accused charge-sheeted by the NIA in connection with the Jalalabad bike blast case, which resulted in the death of the bomber.
According to an official spokesperson of the NIA, Surat Singh’s property located in Mahatam Nagar under Fazilka Sadar police station jurisdiction has been frozen under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. The frozen property comprises Khewat numbers 84/78, 93/87, and 95/89, covering an area of 13 kanal, 17 marla, and 5 sarsai.
NIA investigations have revealed that Khan and Rode collaborated with Surat Singh and other associates in India to form a terror gang in Punjab. Their objectives were to carry out IED blasts and operate a narco-terror racket aimed at destabilizing the region.
The NIA findings indicate that Surat Singh played a crucial role in the terror network, using encrypted communication channels like WhatsApp, fake IDs, and virtual numbers to manage logistical and financial aspects of terrorist activities as an overground worker (OGW) of the narco-terror network.
Surat Singh, along with other accused, provided support for executing criminal conspiracies as directed by Pakistan-based handlers, as per the NIA.
The case was initially registered under sections 3 and 4 of the Explosives Act at Jalalabad City police station, Fazilka, on September 16, 2021, following the blast involving a Bajaj Platina bike in Jalalabad. The NIA took over the case and re-registered it on October 1, 2021.