New Delhi: A joint operation by the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and the Uttar Pradesh Police has led to the arrest of five people, including a wanted member of the pro-Khalistan group Waris Punjab De and a US national allegedly linked to the organization, after they were caught attempting to enter India illegally from Nepal. The arrests were made near the Rupaidiha border in Bahraich district.
Vikramjit Singh and Manveer Singh Dhillon have been named as the main accused. Vikramjit Singh is wanted for the 2023 attack on a police station in Punjab, police said. Dhillon, a US national who is originally from Punjab’s Moga district, is suspected of entering India via Nepal without the required travel documents.
Three other accused – Suresh Kumar Pathak, Dilip Upadhyay and Rahul Kumar – were also taken into custody. Investigators allege that the trio had arranged transport and logistical support to help the two men cross into Indian territory after they entered from Nepal.
According to media reports, Bahraich superintendent of police Vishwajeet Srivastava said the five accused were apprehended during a coordinated operation after security personnel intercepted two men attempting to cross the international border without valid documents. He added that the remaining three were arrested for allegedly assisting their illegal entry into India.
Authorities said Punjab Police had been looking for both Vikramjit Singh and Dhillon in separate cases. During initial questioning, investigators learnt that Vikramjit Singh had allegedly been evading arrest for several days. Dhillon is suspected to have chosen the Nepal route to enter India without a visa in an apparent attempt to avoid scrutiny by security agencies.
Media reports said verification of their identities and subsequent interrogation revealed the accused’s alleged links to Waris Punjab De. A case has been registered against them at the Rupaidiha police station under relevant legal provisions, and further investigation is in progress.
Waris Punjab De was founded in 2021 by actor-turned-activist Deep Sidhu. Although it began as a socio-political organisation, several of its members have since come under the scanner of law enforcement agencies in connection with various criminal and security-related cases.
The arrests come amid heightened vigilance along the India-Nepal border. As RNA Media reported earlier this month, the SSB detained a 36-year-old man claiming to be a US citizen in Uttar Pradesh’s Maharajganj district while he was allegedly attempting to cross into Nepal without valid travel documents. The man identified himself as Jordan Brown and claimed to be a resident of California. Authorities are investigating that case separately.