Kulwinderjeet Singh, alias Khanpuria: school dropout, small time village shopkeeper, ‘most wanted’ terrorist
Khanpuria, a resident of Lambardar Mohalla in Ludhiana, was booked by the State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) in May 2019 under Section 25 of the Arms Act, Sections 17, 18, 18-B and 20 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and Sections 3,4 and 5 of the Explosive Substances Act at Amritsar. In June 2019, the case was transferred to the NIA
A class seven dropout, he used to manage the affairs at his father’s cloth store at a village in Ludhiana. That was much before he emerged as one of the most wanted terrorists in India who was finally arrested last week after being deported from Thailand.
Kulwinderjeet Singh, alias Khanpuria, carrying a reward of Rs five lakh, had been absconding for three years before his luck ran out.
Youngest of five siblings, Khanpuria was first arrested in 1995, a week after his first marriage. The 49-year-old’s family originally hails from Amritsar but he settled with his father at Khanpur village near Doraha town in Ludhiana.
After clearing his class 7 exams, he dropped out of the school and started looking after his father’s cloth shop.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Khanpuria’s elder sister Parvinder Kaur said that she came to know about her brother’s arrest from the news channels. She said that she was not aware about the whereabouts of Khanpuria’s wife Sandeep Kaur and his minor son. “I want to take their custody to keep them with me. My family has already suffered a lot,” she said.
Khanpuria, a resident of Lambardar Mohalla in Ludhiana, was booked by the State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) in May 2019 under Section 25 of the Arms Act, Sections 17, 18, 18-B and 20 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and Sections 3,4 and 5 of the Explosive Substances Act at Amritsar. In June 2019, the case was transferred to the NIA.
Parvinder Kaur said that her son too was booked by the police and is in jail. Khanpuria was produced in the special NIA court on November 18, the day he was arrested from IGI Airport in Delhi, and was remanded in police custody till November 25.
According to the NIA, Khanpuria is the chief conspirator and mastermind behind the conspiracy for carrying out terrorist attacks in India by targeting establishments connected to Dera Sacha Sauda as well as those belonging to police and security forces in Punjab.
“Besides, he was also targeting senior officers of Bhakra Beas Management Board, Chandigarh, with an overall objective of creating terror in Punjab and across the country. He had also carried out reconnaissance of some of the targets,” the NIA has said. “Khanpuria, along with his handlers and associates, based in India and abroad in different South-East Asian countries, had planned and conspired to commit terrorist attacks in India. Khanpuria later managed to flee India,” the NIA said.