LUCKNOW: In a joint operation conducted by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) and Punjab Police, an active member of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), who was planning to carry out a blast at the recently concluded Mahakumbh 2025, was arrested in Kaushambi, a district adjacent to Prayagraj, in the early hours of Thursday.
According to Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) Prashant Kumar, the arrested BKI terrorist, Lajar Masih, a native of Kurlian village under the Ramdas police station area of Amritsar, Punjab, had links with Pakistan's intelligence agency, ISI. He had planned to flee to Portugal after executing the attack at Mahakumbh.
Addressing the media on the arrest, DGP Kumar stated, “Masih, who was arrested during an early morning operation at 3:20 am on Thursday, used to receive hand grenades from BKI.”
It is worth recalling that prior to the inauguration of Mahakumbh 2025, US-based terror activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannu had issued threats of carrying out blasts during the congregation. Intelligence agencies had alerted Uttar Pradesh Police regarding the threat, prompting heightened security measures, including the deployment of central forces.
DGP Kumar revealed that Masih was working for Swarn Singh, alias Jeevan Fauji, the head of the Germany-based BKI module, and had been in direct contact with ISI operatives based in Pakistan.
“The STF recovered illegal arms and explosives from Masih’s possession, including three active hand grenades, two active detonators, two gelatine rods, 13 foreign cartridges, and a foreign-made pistol (Norinco M-54 Tokarev 7.62 mm). Additionally, an Aadhaar card with a Ghaziabad address and a mobile phone without a SIM card were also seized,” he said.
Masih was arrested within the Kokhraj police station limits in Kaushambi. Authorities also recovered a white explosive powder from him.
Masih, who has a long criminal record in Punjab, had escaped from judicial custody in the border state on 24 September 2024.
Sharing details of Masih’s past activities, DGP Kumar stated that he had been in regular contact with three Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) operatives who were eliminated in a joint operation by Uttar Pradesh and Punjab Police in Pilibhit on 23 December last year.
“Masih had supplied weapons and explosives to the three terrorists who attacked a police post with grenades in Gurdaspur district, Punjab, on 19 December last year,” he added.
Senior officers of the Uttar Pradesh STF are currently interrogating Masih at Kokhraj police station. “He has provided sensitive and significant information regarding other BKI terrorists based in Portugal, the USA, and Qatar. Police officials have also extracted crucial data from his mobile phone,” the DGP said.
Masih disclosed during interrogation that he received weapons from Pakistan through drones and stayed in Lucknow, Kanpur, and Kaushambi during his visits to Uttar Pradesh. DGP Kumar further added, “Masih revealed that arms and ammunition were smuggled across the border when gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari was being transported from Punjab to Uttar Pradesh.”