Harpreet 'Happy' Passia, arrested in the U.S., is linked to 16 terror attacks in Punjab

Harpreet Singh alias Happy Passia, a gangster-turned-terrorist who has been held in the US, was wanted in orchestrating 16 terror attacks including 14 grenade attacks in Punjab, official sources said on Friday.

Passia (29) was held by the FBI and the US Immigration department's Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), in Sacramento in the US.

In January, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had announced a cash reward of Rs 5 lakh on Passia in connection with a hand grenade attack on a house in Chandigarh in September last year.

Passia and Pakistan-based designated terrorist Harwinder Singh Sandhu alias Rinda were among the four accused named in a charge sheet in the case by the NIA.

Punjab Police investigation had found that Passia provided the accused with explosives, weapons and logistical support through his local associates.

The September 2024 attack was intended to target a retired Punjab Police officer, who the assailants believed to be the occupant of the house in Sector 10, Chandigarh.

A total of 33 FIRs have been registered at different police stations and 10 look out circulars have been issued against Passia, according to a dossier prepared by Punjab Police.

Hailing from village Pashia in Amritsar district, Passia had left for Dubai in April 2018 and returned to India in February 2019. He went to London in October in 2020 and thereafter moved to the US.

Passia was initially aligned with Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gang members including the US- based associates Darmanjot Singh (Darman Kahlon) and Amritpal Singh (Amrit Bal).

This affiliation with the Bhagwanpuria gang marks the inception of Passia's involvement in organized crime, laying the foundation for his subsequent collaboration with Pakistan-based Harwinder Singh Rinda, a designated terrorist of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI).

Rinda, lately, roped in Passia for execution of terror attacks in the state.

Between September and October 2023, Passia, in collusion with Rinda, orchestrated a series of extortion and terror activities in Punjab, India, according to the dossier.

They targeted liquor contractors and businessmen by making extortion calls and executing arson and shooting incidents at liquor vends in Batala and Amritsar to instill fear and force compliance.

Several terror and criminal modules backed by the Rinda-Passia network were busted by Punjab Police. The modules were raised to target leaders of Hindu groups, police establishments, serving and retired Punjab Police officers, processions carried out by Hindu groups, liquor contractors from Amritsar-Batala region for execution to raise funds for terrorism.

The alliance between Passia and Rinda led to the formation of a nefarious network aimed at executing acts of terror across Punjab.

Passia's collaboration with Rinda intensifies the gravity of his actions.

His participation in planning and orchestrating terror modules aimed at targeting key figures in Punjab underscores a significant threat.

Between late 2024 and early 2025, BKI orchestrated a series of 16 terror attacks across Punjab, including 14 hand grenade assaults, one improvised explosive device (IED) attack, and one rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) strikes targeting police establishment and officials' residences.

A notable incident involved the planting of an IED near Ajnala Police Station on November 23, 2024 and a RPG (rocket propelled grenade) attack on Police establishment Qila Lal Singh district Gurdaspur on the intervening night of 6 and 7 April.

These attacks were coordinated by Passia under the direction of Rinda, and in collaboration with his other US-based associates - ”Gurdev Singh Jaisal Pehalwan, Gurpreet Singh alias Gopi Nawanshehria and Germany-based Swaran Singh alias Jeevan Faujia, along with their local accomplices.

The Rinda-“Passia network has been recruiting juveniles, often struggling with drug addiction, to carry out terrorist activities in exchange for money and narcotics.

In December 2024, Punjab Police arrested a 17-year-old involved in planting an IED at Ajnala Police Station, who confessed to being lured into the operation with promises of drugs and cash.