New Delhi: In a significant development in the murder case of Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Vikas Bagga in Punjab's Nangal, police have unearthed a plot involving Pakistan's intelligence agency, ISI.
Vikas Bagga, the president of VHP's Nangal unit, was shot dead by two unidentified gunmen at his shop near the Rupnagar railway station on Saturday evening. The police have arrested two suspects, Mandeep Kumar and Surendra Kumar, in connection with the murder.
Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav on Tuesday said the Rupnagar police and State Special Operation Cell solved the murder case of Vikas in less than three days.
"In a major breakthrough, Rupnagar Police in a joint operation with SSOC #Mohali, has solved the Vikas Murder Case in less than 3 days with the arrest of 2 operatives of a terror module backed by #Pakistan based terrorist masterminds," the DCP said in a post on X.
The investigation has revealed a chilling nexus between ISI and some unemployed youth in Punjab. ISI has been reportedly luring unemployed people with money and drugs, recruiting them as sleeper cells to carry out targeted killings in Punjab.
A resident of Nava Shehar in Punjab, who had recently traveled to Portugal in search of employment, was recruited by ISI for the task. He was promised a job but was instead trapped by ISI operatives. He was assigned the task of targeting drug-addicted youth in Punjab and orchestrating their killings.
The police have also discovered that the shooters involved in Vikas Bagga's murder were paid Rs 70,000 for the assassination. The order for the attack reportedly came from ISI operatives based in Portugal.
The masterminds behind these operations are believed to be associated with Babbar Khalsa International, a terrorist group based in Pakistan.
Drug addicts are often on the radar of criminal groups. One of the accused in the Sidhu Moosewala murder case was a drug accused who shot the popular Punjabi singer for a few thousand rupees.