A prominent member of the banned outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), Jaswinder Singh Multani, was arrested in Germany for his involvement in December 23 blast in the Ludhiana court complex, Hindustan Times reported. SFJ is a Sikh radical group that supports the secession of Punjab from India as Khalistan.
Multani was reportedly also planning to target locations in Delhi and Mumbai. 45-year-old Multani is also a close associate of SFJ founder Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, as per the report. There are also several FIRs against Multani in Ferozpur, Amritsar, and Taran Taran districts of Punjab.
Multani was detained after the Narendra Modi-led government requested German authorities to arrest the pro-Khalistan radical who had links to Pakistan. He was also involved in arms and ammunition smuggling from across the border into Punjab. The 45-year-old was picked up by the Federal Police from Erfurt in central Germany.
The December 23 explosion at the District and Sessions court complex in Ludhiana had killed one person and injured six others. The man killed in the blast at the Ludhiana court complex was identified as a former Punjab Police Head Constable who was dismissed from service due to his involvement in illegal practices like drug smuggling.
Punjab police has also accused the sacked cop Gagandeep Singh of being the executor of the bomb. Earlier on Sunday, the Punjab DGP had said that Pakistan's ISI, Khalistani groups, and the drug mafia were also linked to the blast.
SFJ member Multani had recently showed up on security agencies’ radar and was also planning smuggling consignments to carry out terrorist activities in Punjab, HT reported quoting its sources. The arms smuggling consignment included explosives, hand grenades, and pistols, the report added.
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The Punjab Police has arrested several people who had procured illegal arms to carry out radical activities in Punjab. A man named Jeevan Singh was also arrested by the Punja Police earlier this year. Jeevan Singh was radicalised by Multani on social media. Singh used to receive funds from Multani to arrange arms and weapons locally in Punjab.
