NEW DELHI: Three people, including a woman, have been arrested for allegedly writing pro-Khalistan graffiti at Jahangirpuri and Shastri Nagar Metro stations in Delhi, police said on Sunday.
The accused have been identified as Sumeet alias Raftar (30), a resident of Panipat in Haryana, Sumit Kumar alias Kaka (22) and Gurpreet (22), both residents of Punjab.
On October 29, graffiti was discovered on the floor near Gate No. 1 of Jahangirpuri Metro Station. On October 30, similar graffiti was found on the inner wall of the staircase near Gate No. 2 of Shastri Nagar Metro Station, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) Narra Chaitanya said.
In both instances, the graffiti read: "DILJIT SINGH QUAM D GADDAR KHOON D BADLA SFJ KHALISTAN", expressing support for the banned separatist organisation Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) and the Khalistan ideology. The acts involved defacement of public property at Metro stations and posed a threat to public order and national integrity, police said.
Police identified one of the accused as Sumeet and apprehended him. The involvement of two additional accomplices based in Ludhiana, Punjab, was subsequently established. Later, Sumit and his associate Gurpreet were also arrested.
The accused admitted to arriving in Delhi on October 28 and painting the graffiti at Jahangirpuri Metro Station. Kumar and Gurpreet confessed to painting the graffiti at Shastri Nagar Metro Station, the DCP said.
Kumar was the primary instigator and had allegedly been radicalised by sympathisers of the SFJ and Khalistan ideology in Ludhiana and Gurdaspur. He was contacted by an associate who instructed him to install an encrypted messaging application to receive assignments. Through this platform, a key SFJ member provided specific templates for the graffiti and offered Kumar a substantial financial reward for painting them at prominent Metro locations, Chaitanya said.
Kumar subsequently recruited Gurpreet and Sumeet.
After arriving in Delhi, Sumeet proceeded to Jahangirpuri Metro Station, where he painted the graffiti, recorded a video of the act and shared it with his handlers. Kumar and Gurpreet allegedly carried out the graffiti and damaged public property at Shastri Nagar Metro Station during the intervening night of October 28 and 29, the DCP said.
Sumeet came into contact with Kumar online. About a week before the incident, he visited Ludhiana, from where the trio travelled to Delhi by taxi, arriving at ISBT Kashmere Gate on October 29. Following Kumar's instructions, Sumeet painted the graffiti at Jahangirpuri Metro Station.
Kumar met Gurpreet four years ago when she was working at a hotel in Samalkha, Panipat, and the two subsequently began living together. He was introduced to Sumeet through a mutual acquaintance. Recently, Kumar was contacted via WhatsApp and directed to download an encrypted messaging application, through which an SFJ member allegedly offered financial compensation for carrying out the graffiti in Delhi, the DCP said.
On October 30, Kumar also allegedly painted graffiti near the GTK Bypass, within the jurisdiction of Samaypur Badli police station. The incident is being investigated further.
Gurpreet worked at a salon in Zirakpur, Punjab, as well as at various hospitality establishments across Punjab and Haryana. She met Kumar four years ago through a mutual friend. Kumar initially persuaded her to travel to Delhi under the pretext of a shopping trip, where she was allegedly informed of the plan to deface Metro property, which was subsequently carried out, the DCP said.
