Pavittar Singh Batala, a most-wanted fugitive from India linked to the banned outfit Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), has been arrested by the FBI in California as part of a crackdown on organised crime, The Times of India reported.
According to the report, Batala was arrested along with seven others, and a cache of arms and ammunition was seized during the operation. The San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office said its AGNET Unit, along with SWAT teams from the FBI, Stockton police, Manteca police, and Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Office, carried out five coordinated search warrants across the county.
Those arrested include Batala, along with Dilpreet Singh, Arshpreet Singh, Amritp Singh, Vishal, Gurtaj Singh, Manpreet Randhawa, and Sarabjit Singh. They have been booked into the San Joaquin County Jail on multiple felony charges, including kidnapping, torture, false imprisonment, conspiracy to commit crime, witness intimidation, assault with a semiautomatic firearm, and issuing threats to terrorize.
The Sheriff's Office also released video footage of the suspects and the seized items, which included five handguns, one of them a fully automatic Glock, an assault rifle, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, high-capacity magazines, and over $15,000 in cash.
The report further stated that Batala had an Interpol Red Corner Notice against him and had recently been named in a chargesheet filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in June. He was named alongside Jatinder Joti and designated BKI terrorist Lakhbir Landa. Joti was allegedly facilitating the supply of firearms to Punjab-based gangsters and Batala's ground operatives.
Citing agency sources, the report said the accused had used virtual numbers and encrypted apps to promote a pro-Khalistan network in India. The module was reportedly operating under the instructions of ISI-linked terrorist Rinda Sandhu.
Indian agencies are said to be in contact with their US counterparts regarding Batala’s extradition, according to the report.