Harpreet Singh, alias Happy Passia, a fugitive gangster wanted in connection with several terror attacks in Punjab, was arrested on Friday by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement and Removal Operations in United States’ Sacramento.

“Today, Harpreet Singh, an alleged terrorist responsible for terror attacks in Punjab, India, was arrested by the FBI and ERO in Sacramento,” the bureau’s Sacramento office said on X. “Linked to two international terrorist groups, he entered the US illegally and used burner phones to evade capture.”

In another statement on Facebook, it added that Singh was “suspected to have collaborated with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the Khalistani terrorist group Babbar Khalsa International (BKI)”.

Singh is alleged to be a close associate of Pakistan-based gangster-turned-terrorist Harvinder Singh Sandhu, also known as Rinda, reported The Indian Express.

The National Investigation Agency had earlier announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh for information about Passia. He is wanted in at least 18 criminal cases in Punjab, most of them related to terrorism and attempts to incite communal unrest.

Passia and Rinda are accused of having jointly planned a series of grenade attacks in Punjab since 2023, targeting police stations, religious sites and the homes of public figures including former Jalandhar Superintendent of Police Jaskirat Singh Chahal and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Manoranjan Kalia.

On September 11, 2024, two youths threw a hand grenade at Singh’s house in Chandigarh’s Sector 10, reportedly acting on Passia’s instructions.

The National Investigation Agency has filed a chargesheet in the case and an application seeking an arrest warrant against Passia in the Chandigarh District Court. The agency said both Passia and Rinda provided weapons, funds, and logistical support to the attackers.

In 2023, central agencies found that Rinda had stopped working with Canada-based Khalistan separatist Lakhbir Singh Sandhu and instead formed a new syndicate with Passia to establish modules in Punjab.

A senior official told The Indian Express that Passia was trafficked into the US in 2021.

The National Investigation Agency claims that the attack in Chandigarh was part of a larger conspiracy involving banned group Babbar Khalsa International.

In a separate operation in December 2023, the Punjab Police busted a module allegedly run by Passia and another operative named Shamsher alias Honey. The module was reportedly backed by Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence.

Five people were arrested in that case, including alleged mastermind Abhijot Singh. The group was reportedly responsible for grenade attacks on police stations in Batala and Gurdaspur.

The Indian authorities say they are now coordinating with US counterparts to share case details and pursue legal proceedings against Passia.